Hogwarts: 1978
by WingardiumLeviosa01
Summary: It's Seventh year for James and Lily, and we all know this is the year they finally get together. But how will it happen? When will it happen? And will Sirius and Remus find love too? Their Seventh year will be anything but ordinary.
1. Head Boy and Head Girl

**Head Boy & Girl**

James met Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew on the train in their usual compartment.

As usual, Remus was reading, Peter was eating, and Sirius was winking at a nearby 6th year in the compartment beside theirs.

"Prongs!" Sirius shouted, as James opened the door. At this, Remus and Peter looked up, and dropped what they were doing.

They all got up, and did the official Marauders handshake.

This involved very precise timing, which they had nailed in the 6 years they'd been best friends.

"Padfoot! Prongs! Moony! Wormtail!" They all yelled together, slapping the person that stood in front of them across the face. James thought Sirius overdid his slap a little, and retaliated by slapping him again. So Sirius slapped James again. And James slapped Sirius again.

"Alright, alright, that's enough of that I think!" Remus cut in between them, as they both now had huge red welts on the sides of their faces. They didn't care. They were all grinning uncontrollably, giddy from the excitement of seeing each other again.

It was only at that moment that the sun decided to shine on James' Head Boy badge, blinding them temporarily.

"Bloody hell!" Sirius exclaimed roaring with laughter.

James felt blush creeping towards his cheeks.

"Shut up alright?" He said.

"What in Merlin's name was Dumbledore thinking putting _you _as Head Boy?" Sirius laughed again.

"Wait, who's Head Girl? I hear they decided that Head Boy and Head Girl share a dormitory together this year." Remus said.

"No idea," James said, while Sirius and Peter chanted "Ooooooh!" together.

James simply yelled, "Shut up you two numptys!" and stormed out of the compartment.

"Oi! Where you going?" Sirius asked, poking his head out the door.

"Gotta go find out who the Head Girl is! Wish me luck!" James said, winking.

As James walked through the train, he caught the eyes of many different girls. But this was all normal; girls followed he, Sirius, and Remus everywhere. They practically had their own fan club. James winked at some, and grinned at others.

He chuckled to himself, watching them giggle and flip their hair at him.

_As if. _He thought.

There was only one girl who could ever pull that off. Not that she ever had done that, but she probably would look good (as usual) doing it. He kept his favorite redhead on his mind as he walked into the Head Boy and Girl compartment. He was surprised when imagination and reality emerged, as he saw none other but Lily Evans sitting in the compartment, looking out the window, with a distant expression on her face.

She turned as she heard the door open.

"Hello Potter." She said, sighing.

"Hey Evans." He said back.

He took his time sitting down, unsure of whether to sit beside her or across from her. He decided on across, so he could talk to her more easily. He found himself always contemplating every decision he made when Lily was around.

There was a very awkward silence that followed.

"The answer, as usual, is no Potter." She told him, looking impatient.

He looked at her.

"I beg your pardon?" He asked, not understanding what she was talking about.

"You're here to ask me on a date again?" She told him.

"I am?" He asked, finally understanding. "Well, if you want me to so much…" He drifted away, knowing she did not.

She snorted.

"Oh please. But seriously, I need you to leave. Only Head Boy and Head Girl can be in this compartment." She told him, pointing to the door.

He actually laughed.

"Oh Lily, silly Lily." He said, shaking his head. He adjusted his robe, for it was half hiding his badge.

She glowered at him. "I told you not to call me…" She stopped suddenly, her eyes finally realizing what she was looking at.

"You have GOT to be bloody joking!" She yelled.

He grinned, absolutely enjoying her displeasure. Then a thought struck him: He would be sharing a room with Lily Evans. _Lily Evans. _He repeated, his grin growing even wider.

"So, I hear we're sharing a room then." James said, guiding the conversation away from how he became Head Boy. To be completely honest, he had no idea how it happened either.

Lily groaned.

"There must have been some mistake." She said. "There has to be some explanation…" She said, obviously thinking hard.

He smiled at leaned back in his chair, putting his arms behind his head. He was quite happy to sit and stare at her all day. He watched her thinking, and it was a long time before he realized she was talking.

"-ything funny Potter, I will hex you into oblivion." He heard her say.

"Hmm?" He said. She sighed.

"I said, since we're sharing a room, you had better not try anything funny or I will hex you into oblivion." She said.

"Try anything funny?" He placed his hand on his chest and gasped, trying to look offended. "Now what kind of man do you take me for?" He said.

She snorted when he said "man".

"But that reminds me…" He said, getting up and walking up to where she sat. He knelt down on one knee.

"Lily Evans," he began, taking her hand.

"Oh Merlin." She said.

"Will you please do me the extraordinary honor of…" He said

"Say "Marry me" and it'll be the last thing you say."

"Going on a date with me?" He finished.

She threw her head back, laughed and pulled her hand out of his. He tried to look hurt, though he had expected this.

"Come on Lils!" He said, exasperatedly. "When will you ever say yes?"

"When will you ever stop asking?" She countered.

They both said "Never," at the same time.

Lily sighed. She turned to look out the window, while James continued staring at her.

"Looks like we'll be there soon." She remarked.

"Yeah. Oh, incidentally, when's the first Hogsmeade trip?" He asked curiously. He knew she knew where this was going, as she sighed and said: "Forget it Potter. It will never, ever happen."

"No more Hogsmeade trips ever?" He said.

She glowered at him.

"You know that's not what I meant Potter."

"I know Evans, I know." He said, and began thinking…


	2. A Daydream Like No Other

**A Daydream like no other**

"Lily, please, just answer my question honestly!" He said, grabbing her hand.

She looked up at him.

She sighed. "Alright fine. The truth is James, I've always loved you."

And that's when he knew it was just a dream. But he forced himself to continue on in the dream, liking too much where this was going.

"Lily, you know I love you too!" He told her, now wrapping his arms around her small waist.

They looked each other right in the eyes. She closed her eyes, and put her arms around his neck, leaning her head against his chest. They stayed like that for awhile.

He put his hand under her chin, and tilted it up. Their eyes locked together, and he knew it was time to kiss her. _She has the most beautiful green eyes, _he thought, moving his face closer to hers. Hers met his halfway, as if she knew exactly what he was thinking.

And then their lips met. It was natural, kissing her. Easier than breathing. He pulled her closer to him, and she put her hands in his messy hair. They fit together as if they were simply made for each other.

After several minutes, James was the first to pull back.

"What's wrong?" Lily said, looking self-conscious. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Lils, you've made me the happiest man on earth." He told her, seeing a single tear drip down her face. He released her waist, and wiped the tear away. They smiled at each other.

"I love you, Lily." He said.

"I love you too, James."

_**AN: I hope you guys all liked this chapter, it's just supposed to be a daydream (notice title.) of James, while the train is on its way to Hogwarts.  
>Please send me feedback(good or bad), or tell me if you have any ideas about what I should include later on! :) Thanks! <strong>_


	3. The New Room

**The New Room**

Lily walked into the ginormous room that was now hers- well, hers and Potters anyway- and threw her trunk onto her bed. She let out a huge breath. The room had two beds, big enough for two people to sleep in each, two dressers, two desks, and one bathroom.

_One bathroom?_ She thought to herself. She would have to share a bathroom with Potter TOO? _Well this day just keeps getting better and better. _She thought sarcastically. Almost as if right on cue, James Potter entered the room.

"Hey Evans, fancy meeting you here." He said grinning.

She simply looked at him. This entire day had been so bizarre. As soon as her and Potter had stepped off the train, they walked -or in Lily's case, marched- straight to Professor Dumbledore's office. Dumbledore had told them both that it had been no mistake making James Head Boy (at this, James looked relieved), and began humming to himself.

"But Professor!" Lily said. "Don't you think it's a bit…_odd _having me and Potter as Head Boy and Girl?"

"No Lily, I do not." Dumbledore said, smiling.

"Dumbly," James started. Dumbledore cut him off.

"Please James, call me Professor Dumbledore." He said, but was chuckling.

"Alright. Professor Dumbledore, by the end of tomorrow I guarantee you; Lily here will have turned me into a pig." He said, gesturing to Lily.

She smiled to herself, remembering the time she had made him grow a pig's tail when he had tried to kiss her in fifth year.

Dumbledore chuckled again.

"You two must learn to behave civilized with each other. This will certainly not be the only time in your life where you do not have things your way, and you should learn to deal with it."

"Oh, I'll deal with it alright," Lily mumbled to herself. She thought she saw Dumbledore shake with quiet laughter after she said that.

"Now." Dumbledore said getting out of his chair. "I want you two to shake hands with each other."

They both looked at him. He nodded his head as if saying, "go on" and so they both shook hands.

"There!" He said, clapping his hands together. "Meeting adjourned." He finished, shooing them out of his office with a smile on his face.

"Well that was weird." Lily said.

"You can say that again." James said.

"Potter, it's time to go down for dinner." Lily told James.

He was standing on his bed, facing the wall behind his bedframe. He was holding to the wall a poster of a Quidditch team Lily didn't know, and he turned to look at her.

"Just a sec Evans, could you pass me a piece of tape?" He said, turning back to his poster, trying to position it just right. He put both his hands on the poster, and finally got it exactly perfect. He smiled to himself, pleased. He looked down and saw Lily standing there, holding out a piece of tape.

"Er…" He said. His hands were busy at the moment, and there was no way in hell he was going to let the poster move. It was finally just the way he wanted it.

"Could you maybe just… put it up there?" He said, nudging his head towards the top of the poster. She stood on her tiptoes to try to reach the top of the poster but couldn't. She climbed onto his bed, and tried again, but both his arms were in the way of her path. She let out a long breath.

"I can't, Potter. Your big fat arms are in the way." She said.

He chuckled. "Just go under them then," He said, nudging his head under his arms. She grimaced, and tucked under his arms. It was a rather uncomfortable position for Lily, it felt as if he was pressing her up against a wall. She turned her back on him, and stuck the tape onto the wall. She slipped out under his arms quickly, and didn't utter another word to him as they walked to the Great Hall together.

He was smiling the whole way down, and finally she just asked, "What is so damn funny Potter?"

He shook his head, and his shoulders shook with silent laughter. Self-absorbed as it may seem, Lily knew he was laughing at her. She rolled her eyes; she didn't really care anyways, and marched to the Great Hall, leaving him behind, chuckling. As she walked into the room, she saw her best friends, Jane and Alice, eating their dinner already. She ran to them.

"Jane! Alice! I missed you two so much!" She said, hugging them. It had been the first time she'd seen them since last June.

"Lily!" They both cried, hugging her back. It was good to escape here, with her best friends. With a sad twinge, she remembered they would not be sharing a room this year.

"So, we heard you got Head Girl!" Alice said.

"How did you hear?" Lily asked them. She hadn't told anyone yet, and the only other person who knew was…

"Potter of course! He told everyone about how you two would be sharing a room this year." Jane said, rolling her light blue eyes.

Lily sat down and began eating. Lily was starved, and Potter had made them miss the sorting ceremony.

"Hat say anything new?" Lily asked in between chews.

"Same old things, but hey, why were you so late anyways?" Alice asked curiously.

"Yeah Lils, you are Head Girl now. Don't you think you should be a tad more responsible?" Jane said, giggling. Lily punched her in the shoulder lightly.

"If it weren't for Potter I would have been here on time." She said, and then told them the full story of everything since they first stepped off the train.

"That sounds... weird." Jane said after Lily had finished her story.

"I know." Lily sighed. "This entire year is going to be."

"No, I think she means the last part was weird Lils." Alice said. "Usually you would have just left him and came down for dinner by yourself."

Lily hadn't thought of that.

"But I never walk down here alone. I always walk down with your girls." She said.

"Yeah, you're also never late but look how that's changed." Jane said sarcastically and Lily rolled her eyes.

"I don't know. I guess that thought just never occurred to me." She said. It was weird, now looking back on it. And she had helped him put up the poster too. She would have done it for anyone else, of course, but this was Potter they were talking about. Lily Evans helping James Potter… that just sounded bizarre.

She shook the thought out of her head, but who should then show up, but the one person she was trying to forget about.

"Hey Evans." James said, sitting beside her. She leaned away, and he laughed.

"Still uncomfortable being close to me I see." He said, and that's when she knew that's what he had been laughing at earlier.

She noticed Sirius, Remus and Peter were all also there, and she sighed. Of course James had brought them along.

"Can I help you Potter?" She said icily.

"As a matter of fact Evans, you can." He said, moving closer to her. She moved away again, and he chuckled, again. She waited, but he didn't go on.

"Alright I'll bite. What do you need?" She said, hoping after she gave him whatever he needed they'd her and her friends alone. She looked at Jane and Alice. Alice was glaring at James as well, but Jane was looking down, blushing. Before Lily had time to wonder what Jane was blushing about, Potter interrupted her thoughts.

"Go to Hogsmeade with me." He said. "First one's in two weeks." He added, grinning.

"No Potter." She said.

Sirius laughed. "Shot down, mate. That's tough, but it looks like that blonde over there wants to go with ya!" Sirius said, winking. Lily looked over. It was true, there was a petite blonde looking over from the Hufflepuff table.

James shook his head and Sirius shrugged.

"Suit yourself. I lied anyways, she was looking at me." And with a wink, he waltzed over to the blonde, shaking his hair.

Lily and James sighed at the exact same moment.

"Come on Lils! Just one date!" James said. "Look okay, everyone's going. Sirius and that blonde are going together, Alice and Frank are going together, Remus and Jane are going together…" He trailed off, winking at Remus. Remus and Jane both turned pink, but looked at each other. Lily cheered silently in her head. She _knew _Jane always like Remus!

James looked at Peter. "Sorry mate." He said, shrugging. Peter didn't seem to mind, while he kept scarfing down food as if it were his last meal.

"Come on Lily, you should go!" Alice said. Lily glared at her. Of course now that James had suggested Alice go with her long-time crush, Frank, Alice was now on James' side. Lily looked helplessly over to Jane, who was now smiling and talking to Remus quietly. Sirius had just brought over his new blonde, and they were flirting obviously. So, she was the only one who thought this would be a bad idea. Well, she did want to go to Hogsmeade and if her friends were going with dates, she didn't really fancy going alone…

"Okay. But it is _not_ a date." She told him seriously.

James, Sirius and Remus all whooped, while Peter just kept eating.

"Way to go Prongs!" Sirius said.

"Nice job!" Remus cheered.

Lily rolled her eyes. "You know I only said yes because of you two right?" She said to Sirius and Remus.

Sirius looked at her. "Oh Lily, I always knew you fancied me. But since I'm with Tanya here… I'm sorry darling, but James is an acceptable second right?" He said. Tanya shot death glares at Lily.

"Sirius, shut up. I just mean since you two and Frank have claimed my best friends," _and Tanya _she thought in her head, though she couldn't really care less about her. "I would have to go alone. And since I'd rather not…" She trailed off, knowing they would understand anyways.

"Since you'd rather not be all alone, you've got Prongsie here to hold you tight!" Sirius exclaimed. Lily rolled her eyes, and James winked at her.

_Starting to reconsider this…_ Lily thought to herself.

"So, it's a date then!" James said, standing up.

"Woah," Lily said, grabbing his arm and pulling him to a stop. "I thought I told you this wasn't a date?"

"I know that Lily. And you know that. But they," He said, gesturing to everyone in the Great Hall, "Do not." He finished, grinning.

"Potter…." She warned, but he ignored her. He grabbed her hand quickly, and before she knew what was happening yelled: "She finally said yes!"

She jerked her hand back down, but the damage was done. The Gryffindor table erupted into cheers, but Lily also got a lot of glares from some girls. Potter's fan club, no doubt. She smiled sweetly at them, and they all turned away, with sour expressions on their faces.

_This might not be so bad. _She thought to herself, still grinning at the stuck-up girls. The four Marauders walked away, Remus waving goodbye to Jane. Jane sighed with pleasure, and waved back.

"Okay, you two are _so _the cutest couple ever." Alice said, poking her finger accusingly at Jane. "Why didn't you tell us? Have you two been secretly dating?" She said.

"No!" Jane said, gasping. "I haven't even told you girls! I don't know how James knew I liked Remus, but I'm glad he did!" Jane said, smiling.

"And how did he know I liked Frank? I wonder if Frank likes me?" Alice said.

"Of course he does!" Lily said, excitedly. She was so happy for her friends that she almost didn't mind the fact she would have to hang out with Potter all day for them.

"Hey Evans!" She heard her name be yelled out.

She turned around, as did the fan-club girls, to see who called her.

"I love you!" James mouthed, pointing to himself, then doing a heart, and pointing at her.

Lily rolled her eyes, and turned to see what the fan-club girls' reaction would be. She thought she saw one of them reach for their wand angrily, before another one of them stopped her.

Lily shook her head. This was going to be harder than she thought.


	4. The Party

As Lily walked back into the common room with Jane and Alice, they were not expecting what awaited them.

"Cockroach Clusters." Lily said, loud and clear so the Prefects behind her could hear, and tell the other students. They walked in, and saw a party going on. There was Butterbeer and Firewhiskey, and there were pastries of all sorts. There were tiny fireworks everywhere, and magic balloons that popped at random times, and spat out sparkles.

"Potter!" Lily screamed, knowing him and the Marauders were behind this.

"Yes, love?" She heard his voice sing, and he stepped out of the smoke and glitter.

"You are so dead for this! We just _had_ a bloody party, what is the point of another?" She yelled.

"Well, this is a party for another reason." He said calmly. She was mad, and he knew it.

"And I told you to stop bringing Firewhiskey to these parties!" Lily screamed. She knew (as did everyone else in the school) that the Marauders had about 20 parties a year, whenever they liked. They were always stocked with Firewhiskey and other alcohol, and by the end of the night, James and Sirius were usually drunk.

"Lily, calm down. We won't give it to the younger children, there's a spell on them." He said, looking proud at himself for being so responsible. She scoffed, and continued yelling at him.

"What is this party even for anyway?" She yelled. It was at that moment when Frank took Alice's hand and Remus took Jane's. Frank and Alice sat down on the couch together, and Remus and Jane went to go sit at a table. Lily watched them, smiling. She saw James watching her and looked at him sharply.

"What?" She asked.

"This party is for that." He told her.

"For what?" She asked, though she knew.

"For Remus and Jane. And for Frank and Alice." He said, watching his friends.

"I never knew you were friends with Frank." Lily said.

"We did share a dorm for the past six years you know." James said, watching his friends.

They both stood there in silence, watching their friends and smiling to themselves. It made Lily feel happier than ever to see her friends so happy.

She looked at James thoughtfully. He wasn't that bad of a guy, and she knew it. He cared a lot about his friends, just like she did, and he was the one who got them all together in the first place.

"Thanks." She said quietly.

He looked at her questionly.

"For… you know." She said, gesturing to her friends. "They're really happy, and they can't thank you for it, but I can. It's nice seeing them like that, so thanks." She said again.

He kept looking at her.

"What about you?" He said.

She frowned. Well, that made no sense.

"I mean," He said, seeing the look on her face. "Don't you want to be happy like them?" He said, looking at his friends again.

She deliberated for a moment.

"I suppose so, yeah." She said. "Do you?" She asked.

He nodded, and looked at her. She blushed, looking away. There was a very long pause.

"Firewhiskey?" He asked, walking over to the drinks.

"Just one," She said. "Please."

He looked at her again. "Evans… you've never drunken before have you?" He asked.

She shook her head. "No, but it's a celebration." She said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Well," He said loudly. "Seeing as how you've never drunken, I will be your designated partner." She looked at him, and seeing that he was actually serious, she laughed.

"Meaning…?" She asked him.

"Meaning," He said. "I won't drink, and will stop you from having too many." He said seriously, pouring her one glass of Firewhiskey, and pouring himself a Butterbeer.

"Bottoms up." He said, clinking his glass with hers. She smiled, and took a small sip. It burned her throat, but it was a wicked sensation. She drank some more, and found it easier to compensate with the burning feeling the second time. On the 6th sip, she really focused on the flavor, trying to pick out the ingredients. She couldn't, and she looked at James curiously.

"What's in this?" She asked him.

"Well, whiskey obviously." He said, shrugging. "But the house-elves have told me that Rosmerta adds some hot sauce into it, for the fire part." He said, winking.

She shivered slightly and laughed.

"Cold?" He said, seeing her shiver.

"No I'm-" But James was already taking off his sweater. He draped it over her shoulders.

"Thanks." She said, uncomfortable, and finished off her glass of Firewhiskey quickly.

"Another?" He asked, seeing her empty glass. Normally she would have said no, even to the first glass. So the reason she said "sure" was beyond her. Could be the party was pumping her up, could be the fact that Potter was going to watch over her. She didn't know, and what's worse- she didn't really care.

He brought over another glass, and she chugged this one down, feeling more at ease with ever gulp she took.

"Woah, slow down there!" James said, taking the now empty glass from her quickly. She giggled, and imitated him, throwing her arms up in the air over-dramatically. She stumbled and fell onto him. He caught her, and stood her upright, rolling his eyes. "Two glasses. Two bloody glasses and you're already drunk!" He said, shaking his head. "Some great partner I am. But two glasses… Who knew?" He said, speaking to himself now. She giggled again, and he pulled her over to the couch shaking his head.

"Stay here." He said seriously, bringing his face close to hers. She nodded, and began humming a tune. He walked away, going to talk to Sirius. She grabbed somebody's glass of half-empty Firewhiskey off the floor and took small sips of it. But found herself taking even larger sips of it, the calm and ease of the alcohol flooding her veins.

It was seconds before James came back that she had finished off another glass. She smiled at him, and he saw the empty glass in her hand.

"Oh Merlin Lils, who the hell are you?" He said, snatching the glass away. It slipped from his hands, and smashed on the floor. She pulled out her wand. "Reparo." She said, pointing her wand at the cup. It fixed, and James looked at her curiously.

"You're drunk." He said. "And you can still do magic better than me." He chuckled, but then stopped, seeming to remember that he was her designated partner. He took her hands and helped her off the couch. She stumbled again, and he caught her quickly, Quidditch skills kicking in.

He helped her over to where Sirius was, making out with Tanya. He tapped Sirius on the shoulder.

"Sorry to interrupt mate, but Lily here has had too much to drink. When Remus and Frank have er, said goodbye to their dates, could you tell Alice and Jane that I've got Lily?" He asked.

"You had to interrupt me, but you couldn't interrupt them? They're only talking for Merlin's sake!" He said, gesturing to Remus and Frank, shaking his head. "But fine," he sighed. "I'll tell them."

"Thanks Padfoot," James said, and helped Lily up the stairs.

"Thank Merlin we share a room Lily." He said thinking of how he could have watched after her if she didn't sleep in his room. Then again, this whole thing might not have happened had they not shared a room.

Lily sighed, and leaned on his shoulder. He smelled of broomstick wax, cologne, and her favorite strawberry shampoo. She looked at him curiously.

"You used my shampoo." She slurred, jabbing a finger lightly into his chest.

"Busted." He chuckled, and kept on pulling her towards their room. When they finally entered, he helped her out of her shoes, and directed her to her bed. He tucked her in, and said "Goodnight Lily."

"Read me a bedtime story, mom." She said, yawning. He considered this for a moment.

"Please mommy," She whispered, and shut her eyes. He looked at her for a while; she looked so innocent and peaceful.

He pulled a chair over and placed it beside her bed. He sat down and cleared his throat.

"What story do you want to hear?" He whispered.

"Cinderella." She breathed, eyes still closed. He frowned; this was not a title he was familiar with.

"How does that one go again?" He asked.

She giggled softly.

"It's over on the bookshelf." She said, humming quietly.

He got up, and walked over to the bookshelf, not expecting to see it there. She obviously thought he was her mother because she was drunk, and a thought struck him. He walked into the bathroom, grabbed a cup, and filled it with water.

He handed it to her, and her eyes opened slightly.

"Drink this." He said. He knew if she didn't she would have a terrible headache tomorrow. She drank some, and looked at him.

"I'm cold." She said, forgetting about the story. He nodded, it was pretty cold actually, he thought, looking for some extra blankets. He thought of transfiguring one, but he was terrible at transfiguration. Maybe he could _accio_ one? No, he might take a random kid's blanket from their bed. She moved to the other end of her bed, and patted the spot where she just was.

"Come." She whispered, still patting the place beside her lightly.

Every part of him told him to get into bed with her. She was drunk after all, she wouldn't remember this tomorrow. But he just simply couldn't. He would never forgive himself if he ever took advantage of her like that.

"I can't." He whispered, so instead, he went to get the blanket off of his bed, and placed it onto hers, so she had two covers. She sighed, and he tucked the blanket around her. He sat in his chair, and she drank some more water. When she had finished the glass, he rested his hand beside her on the bed. Subconsciously, she took a hold of his hand, and pulled it close to her, like it was a teddy bear.

She started humming again, and kept his hand close, nuzzling it under her head. After a few moments, he heard her snoring quietly. Not wanting to disturb her, he pulled his wand out of his pocket carefully with his free hand, and turned off the lights. He sat in the chair, but rested his head on her bed, and sank into a deep sleep, holding Lily Evans' hand.


	5. Next Morning

**The Next Morning**

Lily Evans awoke with a terrible headache. She winced, and put her hand on her forehead, rubbing it. She felt her other hand holding something, and she turned on the light on her bedside table. She had to hold back a scream when she realized she was holding a human hand, but then saw it was attached to James Potter's body. He was snoring quietly, and without disturbing him, she let go of his hand gently, and placed it on the bed. She got up from her bed, and her head spun. She steadied herself, and memory came flooding back to her. She remembered yelling at Potter for the party, seeing her friends with Remus and Frank, talking with Potter, and she remembered Potter saying he would be her designated partner. Her mouth felt kind of weird, and her throat was dying of thirst. She grabbed the glass that was so conveniently located on her bedside table, and walked into the bathroom to get a drink. She filled up the glass and drunk, smelling strongly the stench of Firewhiskey on the cup.

_How much did I drink? _She wondered, drinking the water. She looked out of the bathroom door. _And why isn't Potter is his bed? _She wondered, seeing him sitting on a chair, laying his head on her bed.

When he woke up, she was going to have a lot of questions for him. But she wasn't mad at him, not yet. Something inside of her was saying he didn't do anything wrong. She racked her mind for any memory of the previous night and only remembered a dream she had had. She was about 6 or 7 years old, and she and Petunia were lying awake in bed, humming together, when their mother walked in.

"Goodnight Lily." She said.

"Read me a bedtime story mom." Lily asked, and Petunia sat up in bed. "Yeah mom!" Petunia said.

Their mother said nothing. "Please mommy?" Lily asked.

"What story do you want to hear?" Their mother asked.

"Cinderella." They both said together.

"How does that one go again?" Their mother asked.

They both giggled. "Over on the bookshelf mommy!" Petunia cried.

"It's over on the bookshelf mommy." Lily chorused, still giggling.

But instead of their mother coming back with the book, she came back with glasses of water for them both. They both drank, and Lily shivered. "I'm cold." She said, moving over in her bed to give her mom room to lie with her. Her mom didn't budge, and Lily continued humming, only pausing to say, "Come." and patting her bed.

"I can't." Her mom said, handing Lily her favorite stuffy instead, Mr. Fuzzy. Lily fell into sleep, holding Mr. Fuzzy closely to her.

Lily remembered vaguely from this dream that Mr. Fuzzy had smelt differently though, instead of smelling like home, he smelled like a mixture of broomstick wax, and cologne. And that after she said she was cold, she instantly got warmer.

Lily filled up her glass and walked over to her bed. It was weird how many things she was doing recently without a wand. She looked at the time, and grimaced. They had about 45 minutes until they had to get up… Enough time to fall back asleep, but just barely.

Not worth it. She decided, walking back to the bathroom with her water. She looked at the toilet.

_Did I throw up last night? _She wondered, then felt embarrassed with herself. She really was going crazy.

_That's it!_ She decided, and threw on her shoes. She was already in her clothes, and so, grabbing her wand, she raced out the door.

_**AN: I hope you are all enjoying this story, and if you are, let me know! I'd love to hear any feedback you can give me, or if you have ideas or anything you'd like to see in some upcoming chapters! 3 :) Thanks, and please review!**_


	6. Secret Meeting

**Secret Meeting**

She knocked quietly on Professor Dumbledore's office doors. He would probably be awake by now, but if he wasn't, she didn't want to wake him up. She decided to just leave at the exact same time the doors opened.

She saw another door, and knocked on that one. "Come in," called out Professor Dumbledore's voice.

She walked in slowly, shutting the door quietly behind her.

"There is no reason for that Ms. Evans, nobody can hear what goes on in here." He reassured her. She let out a long breath that she had been holding in. He chuckled, and motioned for her to sit down.

"What brings you here on a morning like today?" Dumbledore asked.

"I'd like to resign from Head Girl." She blurted out.

He didn't look surprised by this at all, just disappointed. She felt ashamed, she couldn't bear having people disappointed in her. Perhaps that was why she got great grades, and was always on time, and never bad.

"Professor, I've never been so bizarre." She admitted to him, remembering last night. Or, what she remembered of last night anyways.

"Bizarre? Bizarre in what way, Ms. Evans?" He asked thoughtfully.

She sighed, and just came out with it all. When she got to the part about the party, she explained that the Marauders always had these parties, but don't get mad at them, they had bewitched the drinks. Dumbledore chuckled and cupped his hands under his chin.

"I know Lily, the house-elves do tell me these things from time to time."

She blushed, of course Dumbledore knew. She continued on, telling him every part she remembered. She left out waking up and remembering the dream though, also the part about holing James' hand. Dumbledore seemed to notice.

"You're forgetting something." He said simply.

"Hmm?" She asked. He didn't say anything, knowing she knew exactly what he meant. She sighed, and blushed slightly.

"Well, I woke up and I was sort of, er, holding Potter's hand." She admitted. Dumbledore didn't say anything, just kept looking at her, and she told him about her dream, turning even deeper pink every time she said "mommy".

She felt a tear run down her face, and wiped it away angrily.

"I shouldn't have come-"

"Ms. Evans, please sit back down." Dumbledore said, for she had gotten up from her chair. "I understand that this may not be something you are comfortable with, all this… change. But I assure you it isn't all the bad you set it out to be." He told her.

She nodded reluctantly, not truly understanding. He saw this too.

"Sometimes, change is good. Sometimes, change is bad. The change is the exchange, when something changes to another. The bad is missing the old thing, the good is liking the new. You have to decide which one you like better however, before it is too late." He looked at her seriously. She thought about this for a long time.

"Before it is too late…" She repeated.

"Our actions turn into habits Ms. Evans, you of all people should know that." He said.

She thought about how she always did her homework the day it got assigned, and how she was never late. How she never partied, never drank, and how she never relied on Potter. Did she want this all to change? Would it all change? She looked at Dumbledore, for some kind of insight, but he was simply looking at Fawkes the phoenix, and humming.

She sat up immediately.

"Sir, what song are you humming?" She said, quietly.

"Oh, it's an old favorite of mine, my mother used to sing it to me every night before bed." He answered simply.

She got up from her chair, and walked over to his desk.

"Thanks Professor Dumbledore." She said.

"Do not thank me, thank yourself. I did no persuading, no threats. I just gave you the path, that you chose to walk on." He said, looking at her in a knowing way.

She looked at him for a moment, and without thinking, hugged him.

She quickly pulled away, embarrassed.

"I'm- I'm sorry. You, you just sound a lot like my dad when you talk, and…" She trailed off, flushing and feeling stupid.

He smiled at her, and his twinkling eyes looked almost watery. She knew it was time to go and so she walked out of his office, calling thanks again, and walked quietly back to her room.

_**AN: ****I was really unsure of this chapter, it was extremely out of my comfort zone, but I hope it turned out alright!  
>It was definitely a huge challenge trying to write Dumbledore's wiseness, so sorry if that part was a little confusing.<br>I loved writing this chapter however, and tell me if you liked reading it please! I love every bit of constructive criticism I can get, and I really appreciate those of you who have reviewed! Thank you, and review please! I love you all! :)**_


	7. Sirius & Lily

_**AN: To my reviewers, I love you all! I love hearing what you thought about past  
>chapters and I would love to hear it for this chapter as well :) I hope you like this chapter, I REALLY liked writing it!<br>**__**& if you are a reader but not a reviewer, I would love it if you took 20 seconds to post a quick review. It would really mean the world to me!  
><strong>__**Thank you, & I hope you enjoy this chapter!**_

__When Lily walked back into her room, she could hear James taking a shower. She walked over to her dresser, and got changed while he was in there. Seeing how James takes abnormally long showers, she read her Potions textbook, trying to kill time. She loved reading about Potions, and she had already reread this textbook 3 times since she'd first bought it.

She had written down notes and scribbled in it, but it always gave her a sad twinge looking at it. Potions used to be her and Severus' thing to do together. They would sit outside on the swings, reading them together, and Severus would always help her and correct her. It was their best subject; Potions just came naturally to them both, and they helped each other.

She sighed, and thought: What if Severus had never called her that foul word? Would they still be friends? They couldn't be, and Severus was happy without her anyways. He was simply content to go along with worshipping the Dark Lord. It still pained her to see him though, thinking that her once best friend in the whole world (muggle and wizards) was a future Death Eater.

She shook her head, driving all thought of Severus out of her mind. She had moved on now anyways, and there is no such spell to go back in time, as much as she would've loved to.

James stepped out of the bathroom with the towel around his waist, and was whistling. When he saw her, he jumped.

"Bloody hell!" He said, covering his bare chest with his hands. She laughed, and kept on reading, averting her eyes from him.

She got up out of her bed and made a performance of covering her eyes, so she wouldn't see him, half-naked.

"Har de har." James said sarcastically.

She walked into the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face. She shut the door, so he could change while she was in the bathroom. She sighed, thinking of the many downfalls of sharing a room with a boy. With Alice and Jane she had never really cared, a boy was a different story. Especially when that boy was James Potter.

When she walked back into their room, he was fully dressed, and shaking his wet hair like a dog.

"Potter!" She squealed angrily when he got her wet. He grinned at her, winked, and towel-dried his hair instead.

"This really is going to take some time getting used to." She said.

He nodded and looked at her curiously. "Where were you this morning anyways?" He asked.

"Oh, just went for a little stroll." She said vaguely, waving her hand dismissively. He looked at her for a long time, and she knew he knew she was lying.

"So… Does your head hurt?" He asked, looking thoughtful.

"A little but it's nothing too unbearable." She said, pulling on her robes over her clothes.

He smiled. "I can't believe you actually got drunk." He said, laughing. She paled, and he stopped laughing.

"I WHAT?" she yelled, and her head throbbed.

"Well, don't you remember?" He asked, looking awkward. All she knew was that she drunk a little alcohol… she didn't remember getting full-out drunk! He was supposed to be her partner!

She shook her head vigorously, and her head throbbed again. She pressed her fingers into her temples, and waved him away when he tried to come closer.

"Let's just… go downstairs." She said, walking out the door. She couldn't believe it! Well, she supposed it would explain the huge hole in her memory… A thought came to her mind, and she stopped in her tracks.

"Evans?" James said, stopping just a little in front of her.

"Potter." She spat. "While I was drunk, you didn't…" She trailed off, not even wanting to say the rest. He looked confused for a second.

"Wh- Oh Merlin no Lily!" He said, shaking his head. "I didn't. I swear, I didn't. I mean, I thought about it but, no! I didn't Lily I promise!" He was rambling now, swearing to her nothing had happened.

"I woke up holding your hand." She said, sort of childishly, crossing her arms. He coughed awkwardly.

"Er… yeah, about that. I think we need to talk about what happened last night." He said seriously. She cocked one eyebrow suspiciously.

"Well, let's talk then." She said.

He looked extremely uncomfortable. "How much do you remember?" He asked carefully, putting his hands in his pockets and rolling back and forth on his heels. She thought for a moment or two.

"I remember…" She began, and a slew of memories came flooding back to her. She said them as soon as she thought of them, not thinking. "I remember walking into the common room and yelling at you, I remember Jane and Alice talking with Remus and Frank, I remember being happy for them, I remember you asking me if I ever wanted to be happy with someone, I remember you offering me a Firewhiskey, and I remember you promising you would take good care of me." She finished, looking at him dubiously. He coughed nervously, and looked away.

She stood there, waiting for him to say something.

"Do you remember…" He started, still not looking at her. "Anything else?" He said.

She looked at him. "Of course I don't, I've just told you everything I know."

"Think." He said, finally looking at her. She looked back at him. They were quiet for a long time, staring deeply into each other's eyes. She tried, she really did, but couldn't find anything else in her memory. She shook her head slowly. This was a lie of course. She remembered her dream, but she did not feel comfortable sharing her dreams with Potter. Besides it wasn't even a dream, it was a memory. She remembered that night quite clearly. It was before she had shown any magical abilities at all, and her and Petunia got on quite well, laughing and playing together. Their mother would read them a bedtime story every night.

Lily felt a hot tear roll down her cheek, and she turned away from James, and walked by herself. She did not want anyone to see her like this. Thankfully, James did not run after her, and for the first time in her life, she walked to the Great Hall alone. She stopped just outside of it, and made a sharp turn left. She continued walking down the hallway, passing Hufflepuffs all making their way down to the Great Hall. She continued walking, not caring about the looks she got from anyone. She didn't stop walking, and kept her head down until…

"Hey." Said a girl's rude voice. Lily had walked right into this girl. "Watch where you're going." She said and stood there, blocking Lily's path. Lily looked up; it was Tanya, Sirius' girlfriend. Lily saw recognition flash over Tanya's face.

"Hey, aren't you…" She said, thinking. Lily ignored her, and continued walking but could've sworn she heard Tanya finish "that girl who got completely drunk last night?"

Lily walked as fast as her feet would carry her, and finally stopped at a dead-end. She sat down against the wall, and let her tears come down, not holding them back any more.

She cried for her sister, and she cried for her mother. She cried for her father and she cried for her friends. She cried for everyone she cared about, wishing they were here to comfort her, in this wave of loneliness that had washed over her.

She sobbed quietly, letting her emotions run free. She was so disappointed in herself. She had let herself get drunk, for what?

For James Potter, she thought grimly, wiping her tears away angrily. She had put her complete trust in him, and for all she knew, he could have used her last night, and it didn't matter, because she couldn't remember any of it. She bit back a scream. What was coming over her?

"Lily?" A voice whispered. She whipped her head around, looking for who had said this. Soon, a black haired boy came into view; it was face she was very familiar with.

"Sirius?" She said, disbelieving her eyes.

"Yeah, Tanya said she saw you coming down here… Hey, are you okay?" He asked carefully, shoving something into his back pocket. He sat down beside her, and while normally she would have walked away from Sirius Black, she leaned her head on his shoulder, and wept. He patted her gently on the knee, nodding.

"Do you want to… er, talk about it?" He asked awkwardly, and she shook her head, knowing he didn't really want to know, and he was only being polite.

"Do you think," She said between sobs. "I've changed?" She said, looking into his dark brown eyes. Tears filled her eyes, making it hard to see him, but she could make out him frowning, not understanding.

"As a person." She deliberated. "I mean, have I changed at all as a person?" She asked. "Honest answer." She said seriously.

"Lily, I don't know what you're going through, and I don't know how to help you get through it. I just want you to know, James is down there, worried sick about you. So is Alice, Jane, Remus, Frank…" He trailed off. "And me." He finished, shrugging.

She sat there, staring at the ground. "I can't… do this anymore." She admitted. It was weird, pouring her heart and soul out to Sirius Black, of all people.

He nodded. "I get that." He said, and for some reason, she knew he really did. They sat there in silence, and she was the first to speak up.

"Sirius, do you ever feel like, you just can't be what everyone wants you to be?" She said, feeling stupid. How else could she put it?

He nodded slowly. "My family." He said, swallowing. "They're all… Death Eaters." He said, his voice cracking. She let out a small gasp, and he continued. "I don't live with my family anymore. I'm a disgrace." He said, spitting out so much venom she jumped. "They don't talk to me, I haven't seen them in years. The Potters… that's a quality family, that is. They welcomed me in with open arms. I've been staying there ever since." He said, his voice cracking.

Lily's eyes widened, and she remembered always seeing Mr. and Mrs. Potter kissing goodbye to James and Sirius on the first day of school. How had she never noticed anything?

"Sirius," she began, voice quivering. "I am _so_ sorry." All her problems seemed small in comparison. Her mom and dad… she couldn't imagine life without them, never seeing them again…

"Lily, don't feel sorry for me." He said grimly. "But if there's one thing I learned in this whole mess, is it's impossible to be what other's what you to be. Everybody's got different standards. All you've got to do is be who you want to be. The people who accept you for that, are the ones that will always be there for you." He said. "I know where my true friendships lie, and you should too." He said. "And another thing…" He said, getting up. She tilted her head to one side, watching him. "Don't ever regret anything you once thought was a good idea." He said, holding out his hand. She took it, and he helped her up.

They walked together in silence to the Great Hall.

"Sirius," she started. "When you said everyone was worried about me… well, I'm just curious. How come you came to get me and they didn't?" She asked. It had been a question she wanted to ask the second after he said it. Sirius blinked, caught off guard by her question.

"Er… they did go looking for you." He said awkwardly.

"But… if Tanya told you where I was… And you knew, how come you didn't tell them?" She asked.

"Because I wanted to talk to you alone. I figured you were going through something, and I thought I knew how to cheer you up." He said, shrugging his shoulders.

She smiled. That was really sweet of him.

Who knew Sirius Black could be so… nice?


	8. Different Feelings

They entered the Great Hall together, Sirius beaming; he grabbed her hand, and held it up high.

"I've found her! Fifty points to Gryffindor!" He shouted. Again, everyone in the Great Hall ignored him, used to his outbursts now. Lily could have sworn she saw Dumbledore smile though, and shake his head.

She wrenched her hand free, and walked over to where her friends sat.

"Lily you prat!" Alice yelled. "We've been looking everywhere for you!"

"Sorry, I just went for a stroll." She said. James looked at her, and she tried not to meet his eyes. That was what she had said this morning as well, when he had asked.

James pulled Sirius aside, and Remus and Peter followed them. They moved away from the three girls, but Lily strained her ears to hear them.

"Padfoot, you didn't." James said, narrowing his eyes at Sirius.

Sirius shrugged.

"I thought we promised we would only use it for pranks?" Remus said exasperatedly.

"Yeah, but this was important." Sirius said, non-chalantly.

James still was glaring at him. "And you kept the map all for yourself because…?" He demanded.

"Prongs, calm down. You wouldn't have known what to say to her, and I did." Sirius said.

At that moment, they all turned to look at Lily. Lily looked away quickly, and only caught Remus' eyes, for he was quickest. She looked down awkwardly.

After a couple seconds, she risked looking up the slightest bit. Only Remus was still watching her, while James and Sirius were glaring at each other. Peter was watching James and Sirius with awe.

"What happened to mates before dates?" James demanded.

"Prongs! It wasn't like that, I swear!" Sirius exclaimed. "You actually think I would do that?"

James merely shrugged, and that was all the explanation Sirius needed. He glowered even more at James.

"Padfoot, Prongs, stop." Remus said, stepping between them, dropping Lily's stare. "She's fine now, and that's all that matters right?" Sirius said, still glaring.

James snorted sarcastically. "What'd you tell her to make her feel 'all better' then?" He said, challenging Sirius. There was a long pause.

Sirius' face softened. "I told her you were worried sick about her."

James looked startled. "And… that, made her feel better?"

"That and other things." Sirius shrugged.

James and Sirius both stopped glaring, and just looked at each other apologetically.

_James really cares about you, you know. _She thought. _And he's really not that bad a person. _

She thought for a moment. _Had James really been worried sick about me?_

She shook her head. No way, she did not care about James. She did not care about how he was worried about her, she did not care about whatever had happened last night, and she did not care about how protective he was being of her right now.

_Though he does look cute, getting angry with Sirius over me. _She thought, and then put a hand to her forehead.

What was going on? James Potter… Cute? These thoughts had never gone through her mind before, and she didn't like them one bit. But now they flooded to her, making her analyze every part of James Potter.

She had always known he was very attractive, that didn't come as a surprise to her. What was surprising was that she found herself unable to contain herself from swooning. That was what had displaced her from every other girl, after all. They threw themselves at his glorious good looks –_stop it Lily- _and she had always ignored them completely. What was wrong with her? She shook her head, forcing herself to stop staring at him. Her eyes cleared, but again, she found Remus staring at her, with a knowing smile on his face.

He looked rather scruffy today, she remarked. Scruffier than usual at least, the lines of much needed sleep etched on his face, and he hadn't shaved in a while either, she noticed.

She raised her eyebrows at him.

He chuckled to himself, and turned back to his friends.

"Come on guys, there's food awaiting us." He reminded them, motioning to the food on the table.

James punched Sirius lightly on the table, and Sirius retaliated by giving him a noogie. They both laughed, and walked back to the table to sit beside Alice, Jane and Lily, all thoughts of their little fight leaving their minds.

Lily tried her hardest to act oblivious to what had just happened, but she wasn't a very good actor.

"Something wrong Evans?" James asked through mouthfuls.

She sighed. He was perceptive, she had to give him that.

"No, not really. Thanks to Sirius," She said, smiling at him. "I am doing just fine."

James smiled. "I'm glad." He met Sirius' eyes and gave a sheepish grin, apologizing to him silently. Sirius gave a small nod, and then nudged his head to Lily, telling James to talk to her instead.

"So Lily," James began. She looked at him curiously. He had a sly grin on his face, and she knew what that meant. She cut him off with her hand.

"Let me guess: You're going to ask me out." She said, giving him an exasperated look.

He looked confused. "Ask you out? What for?" He said. She felt her cheeks go red.

_Okay that wasn't embarrassing at all. _She thought. _I basically just told him he was going to ask me out, and he wasn't even going to. _

James, seeing her expression grinned. "We're already going on a date remember? To Hogsmeade?" He said, winking at her. She smiled before she could stop herself, and he frowned. She didn't blame him; this was usually the part where she said, "It is not a date!"

She wanted to smack her forehead, what was wrong with her today?

_I don't like James, I don't like James, I don't like James! _She chanted over and over to herself while James sat there, staring at her with a blank expression on his face. She racked her brain for something to say.

_Say something! _She told herself, and sneaked a look at him.

He was still looking at her with a blank expression, but then it looked like a light bulb went off in his head. He smirked at her, and turned to whisper something to Remus. Remus nodded and grinned at him, punching him lightly in the shoulder, and shaking his head in disbelief. Lily sat there, stunned, in silence.

"So," James said turning back to Lily. "Are you looking forward to our date?" He said, grinning.

"Not a date." She said quietly, though her heart wasn't really in it. She was such an idiot, what was happening? She knew Alice and Jane were listening, as they stopped talking, and even Remus was watching her again, with a wary expression on his face. James snorted. "Lily, what's up with you?"

"Don't know what you're talking about." She said, her voice growing a little stronger. He gave her a knowing look.

"Mm-hmm. Okay, well when you're ready to tell the truth," He said, getting up. "I," He pointed to himself. "Will be in the common room." He pointed towards the Gryffindor tower, and he walked out of the Great Hall laughing with his friends.

Lily slowly turned to her friends, knowing already what was coming.

"What." Alice said.

"Was." Jane said.

"That?" They both demanded, nearly screaming at her. She shushed them, waving her hands at them crazily.

"Will you two shut up?" She said, forcing a fake grin. It probably came out as more of a grimace. "It was nothing."

They looked at each other, then turned to her.

"You know what, I think you're right about that Lily." Alice said. "That _was _nothing."

"You're sitting with James Potter, and all you can say is "not a date"?" Jane said, sarcastically. "You can lie to James all you want, but we thought you might tell _us_ what's really wrong with you! We're only your best friends after all!" Jane said, getting fed up.

Lily was offended, and she gaped at Jane. Jane was never one to be so demanding, and so rude about it too. Jane had always been the shy, quiet one, who was only loud and outgoing with her friends.

"You want to know? Fine! I'll tell you "_WHAT'S UP"_!" Lily yelled, nearly dragging them both into the corridors, and into an empty classroom. "I'm going mad! Last night, as you two clearly failed to help me, I got drunk! Did you know that? Hmm? Oh yeah, and somehow I woke up _holding Potter's hand._ I was nearly cuddling with him, I was! And as if that weren't enough, you two are now happily united with your soul mates, and I'm stuck with James Potter. But the _worst bloody part is I THINK I LIKE IT."_ She said, bursting into tears, and collapsing into her friend's arms. They helped her sit down on the floor, and she leaned against a cupboard door. She stopped crying immediately, as the cupboard started shaking. Jane and Alice sat shocked, and Lily knew what had to be in there.

_A Boggart likes small, enclosed spaces. _She said to herself, repeating word by word her Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook.

_The only way to get rid of it is laughter. _She chanted to herself, and the Boggart flew out. Only it wasn't a Boggart; it was far from one.

_**Thanks for reading & reviewing! I just wanted to shout-out to my most dedicated reviewers:  
>Tiva-Babe UK and 4lien4ted!<br>Thanks for all your support, I love you all!  
><strong>__**xoxo, Taylor :) **_


	9. The Boggart

_**AN: So to start off, I'm sorry for taking so long to put up this chapter!  
><strong>__**In about a week I'm leaving to go to France for two months, so I've been getting ready for that.  
><strong>__**Thanks for your patience, and I hope you enjoy this chapter! :)**_

__There stood Lily's parents, happily holding hands, and as Lily looked down to their hands, she saw something that shook her to her very core. Her parents both had dark marks on their left arms, and they were glaring at her, as if she weren't even their daughter. As if they hated her, as if they wanted to disown her, as if she were a disgrace. Although she knew this could not be true- both her parents were Muggles after all- the image scarred her. She squeezed her eyes shut, but the image was branded on the back of her eyelids, replaying over and over for her to see.

"_NO!" _Lily screamed, bringing her hands up to her mouth. Forgetting completely that it was just a Boggart, she sank down to the ground, and covered her eyes.

"_Please! Please don't be Death Eaters!" _Lily cried through tears. "_Don't leave me! I need you, please! I love you! Mom! Dad!"_ She wailed on and on, trying to remind them who she was.

She heard shouts of "Riddikulus!" behind her from Alice and Jane, but they just weren't strong enough. It wasn't Jane or Alice's Boggart, it was hers. She was the only one who knew how to make herself laugh from this, but she was just too weak. She lay on the floor in a heap, bawling, nightmares of her parents leaving her forever. She screamed with pain, the nightmares flooded through her brain. She squeezed her eyes shut, and tightened her body into a ball. She shook with fear and mental pain.

She heard the door bang open.

"Lily!" James voice yelled, and he ran to her. The Boggart did not change though, for she was still the closest one to it, and she was positively ejecting the nightmares of her parents into the Boggart's mind, making it almost too easy for the Boggart to be the exact replica of her parents.

"Sirius! Get him!" James said, shouting over Lily's cries of pain. Lily saw Sirius run out the door, unfolding a piece of parchment from his back pocket on his way out.

James grabbed Lily around the waist, and heaved her over to Alice and Jane.

"Keep her with you two!" He yelled at them urgently, and they nodded silently, still too scared to do anything. Lily saw James run straight to the Boggart.

It transformed to Sirius, Remus, and Peter wearing Azkaban prison uniforms, looking like zombies. He closed his eyes shut, and imagined it.

_Right, _he thought to himself. _Don't think about what's there now, you know it's not real. You know what you have to do._

"_**Riddikulus!"**_He yelled loudly, pointing his wand straight at Sirius' chest. There was a popping noise, and Sirius, Remus and Peter all stood there doing ballet in light pink leotards and tutus.

James snorted, and forgot all about what he had seen before. He looked from Sirius to Remus to Peter. They stood there, covering themselves, going red in the face and he roared with laughter. Sirius, Remus and Peter left with another loud popping noise, and James turned around, out of breath and grinning. He suddenly remembered what had happened and he ran over to Lily.

"Lily." He breathed, holding her hand. Her eyes were almost shut; she could only see him through the slits of her eyes she had managed to keep open.

"You…" She mumbled. He knew she was exhausted. She had been crying earlier today too, and he didn't blame her for being so tired now, after what she had just been through.

He leaned his head closer to her, so he could hear her better. It took all the force she had left to do what she did next, but she had to do it.

She gave him a small kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks." She whispered to him, and promptly fell asleep. He stood there in shock, and without thinking, put a hand gently to his cheek, where she had just kissed.

Sirius cleared his throat awkwardly. James turned around, to see the real Sirius back, with someone else beside him. Someone James knew very well.

"Severus." James whispered.

_**AN: Ha ha! I'm sorry for ending it like this again (*suspense* aha!)  
>but this time I promise the next chapter won't take so long to be posted!<br>**__**Review so I can know how you felt about it! :)  
><strong>__**xoxo, Taylor **_


	10. Severus Snape

_**AN: As usual, another chapter! Trying to update everyday again, hopefully.  
><strong>__**After Feb.10th, it will be awhile until I update, so I will try to update a LOT before that :)**_

___**Enjoy!**_

Severus was glaring at him with such loathing that James took a step back.

"I er," James started. "There, there was a Boggart." James said, filling in Severus, and pointing to the cupboard. "I knew you were really good in D.A.D.A so I asked Sirius to go and get you. I'm sorry, I couldn't wait… she was in so much pain…" He drifted off, remembered her shrieking in agony, the sound piercing his ears.

Severus' face softened a bit, and he strode over to where Lily slept in a ball, beside a very still Alice and Jane.

"Will she be all right?" Severus asked them, kneeling down to Lily's level.

"We think so." Alice said, trying to sound as cross as possible. She was still in so much shock, but she knew she was supposed to hate Severus, after what he had called Lily.

"Why me?" Severus said, getting up and walking to James. Sirius looked confused, but James knew what Severus meant.

"I know you like her." James said. "And I'm sorry you had to see…" He trailed off, motioning to where Lily had kissed him. "But I knew how good you were-" Severus cut him off.

"No Potter." Severus said, getting angry. "That's not why. There are hundreds of kids here who could have defeated a Boggart. Why. Me." He said, pausing between the last two words.

"Because you're the only one who would have dropped everything had they known Lily Evans was in trouble." James whispered.

Severus merely stared, and after one fleeting look at Lily he said: "Thank you for wasting my time, Black. Next time you want to show off what a hero you are Potter, don't do it in front of me." He said, and turned away quickly, marching out of the deserted classroom. Sirius made to chase after him, but James pulled him by the back of his robes.

"Let him go Padfoot. It's not his fault." James said, shaking him head.

Sirius gaped at him. "He just told us off! Let me go tell him to go visit the Whomping Willow again! But this time, don't save him!" Sirius said angrily.

"Sirius." James said, grabbing him by the front of his robes. "He loves her, don't you see that? You don't understand it, because you've never experienced it. But I have." James admitted. "And he has. And we both know it. And she's chosen me. If she had chosen him, I would've done the same. Possibly worse." James added, as an afterthought. Sirius merely stared, at a loss for words.

"So, you really love her?" Sirius said, dumbfounded. James sighed, and nodded.

"Yeah," He mumbled. "I really do."

They walked over to Jane and Alice, and the sleeping Lily.

Fortunately, their conversation had been in whispers, so the girls hadn't heard any of it.

"I'll take this one." James said, lifting Lily up in his arms. Alice and Jane stared again.

"You sure you've got her mate?" Sirius said. James nodded.

"You take the two girls to the common room, make sure they get there safe and sound." James told him. Sirius nodded, but turned around to him again.

"You won't be coming with us?" Sirius said.

James shook his head. "I'm going to take her to the hospital wing first I think."

Sirius nodded, and held out his hands for the two girls to take. He put their arms around his shoulders, and they trudged along, exhausted after all that had happened.

"Trust this to be the night Moony's out eh?" Sirius said, nodding his head to the window, which reflected the light of the full moon.

"I'm just happy we found out about Lily before we… you know… joined him." He said vaguely, but knowing Sirius understood, for Alice and Jane were now listening to their conversation.

"Think he's alright?" Sirius asked.

"I think he'll be fine." James said, and turned the corned to the hospital wing, while Sirius turned the next corner.

James hoisted Lily up further in his arms, for she had fallen the slightest bit. He looked down at her, sleeping so peacefully. Her long red hair hung around her face in perfect waves, and he stopped walking to stare down at her.

"I love you Lily." He whispered, and with that, he carried her where she needed to go.

_**AN: Hope you enjoyed, and if you see any problems tell me please!  
><strong>__**Review please! Everytime someone does it makes my day! Thanks for reading!  
><strong>__**xoxo, Taylor :)**_


	11. Change is Good

Lily woke up, and looked around the room. Where was she?

Wherever she was, it was bright. She put a hand over her eyes, rubbing them. She heard soft snoring beside her, and looked over to her left.

There lay James Potter, sleeping soundly on a chair, resting his head on her bed.

_This is turning into quite a habit. _She thought sarcastically to herself.

Suddenly, she remembered everything that had happened yesterday, and it brought tears to her eyes. He had saved her from the Boggart… and… she had kissed him.

She closed her eyes. Were they… dating now? She got up, careful not to disturb him, and crossed the room. Where was she anyways?

She rubbed her eyes tiredly, and the room became clearer. She was in the hospital room, with James. She walked back to him, rubbing her forehead.

"James." She said, shaking his shoulder. He woke up with a jolt, and rubbed his eyes with his arm. He looked up at her slowly.

"Hello there." He said, with an expression she had never seen on his face before.

"We need to talk." She said, nodding to the door. He got up, and followed her out of the hospital room, and into the corridor.

"Thank you." She said quietly, blushing slightly.

He looked at her. "You already thanked me before."

She grimaced. "I know I did."

"I liked that 'thank you' better I think." He said innocently, though starting to act more like the normal James. She smiled and looked up to meet his eyes, which were shimmering with pleasure. She blushed again, but continued looking at him.

"About that…" She started. He stepped closer to her, and she stopped talking.

"Yeah. I thought about that last night." He started. They were standing so close to each other she could smell him; she inhaled a mix of broomstick wax, cologne, and sweat. It comforted her, and it smelled partly of something she'd smelled before. She inhaled his scent, and without thinking about it, let her head rest on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her waist. They stood there for a while in silence. She moved away after a moment, to look at him.

"What are we going to do?" She sighed.

He shrugged, and she realized he was right. Who cares what other people think? Like Sirius said; the people who accept you are the ones that really matter. And she knew Jane and Alice would be thrilled, and the Marauders would like it too, she thought with a smirk. That was all who mattered anyways.

She started to walk to their room, hoping he would follow. He did, but left a note for the nurse first. They walked together to the Gryffindor common room in silence.

It felt like some unanswered agreement had passed between them, making them both okay with this. She knew what dating James would entail; answering numerous questions about James, telling her parents, seeing the teachers judge her… but she didn't really care. She had changed this year, but not in a bad way.

Maybe she'd changed for the better.

_**AN: Short chapter, I know. But I just wanted to show that Lily is now okay with all the changing :)  
><strong>_**_Read & Review please, it makes me happy. x)  
><em>****_And thanks to everyone who reviewed before._**

**_Thanks for reading,_**

******_xoxo, Taylor :) _**


	12. Notebooks and Jealousy

_**AN: Warning; a very long chapter :) **this chapter is cool for me because it's a full moon (where i am at least) tonight, and in the book, their full moon was last night :D is it weird that that makes me feel cool? :/ **_

__"Oh NO!" Lily said, gasping.

"What?" James said nervously, looking around the hallway they were walking down.

"I still have to finish my Charms homework!" She said, putting her hands to her mouth. James snorted and wrapped his arm around her waist, and pulled her along.

"Lily, taking into account everything that happened last night, I highly doubt Flitwick will care. Plus, he's new, so he'll still be a nervous wreck." James said. She looked at him curiously.

"You're very observant." She said. She had completely forgotten he was a new teacher this year.

James looked pleased with the compliment, as he smiled to himself, and puffed out his chest. It was her turn to snort now, watching him strut around. He turned around too look at her.

"Coming?" He said, stretching out his hand. She took it, and they walked together into the Great Hall for breakfast.

None of their friends had arrived yet, so they sat together at their usual spot, and started eating. Lily looked around the room as she ate her toast, seeing girls from all four houses glaring at her. It took her awhile to realize why.

"You know," She whispered in his ear. "This dating thing is going to take some getting used to."

He frowned. "Why?"

She nudged her head to four girls sitting closely to them, all giving Lily cold stares. He laughed, and to her pleasure, gave her a small peck on the lips, looking right at the girls afterwards. They all scoffed, and flipped their hair, going back to gossiping-about Lily no doubt.

"Don't worry about them." He said seriously.

"Oh, I'm not worried." She said, then raised her voice so they could hear. "I know I'm the only girl you have eyes for, and no other girl stands a chance." She turned around and gave the girls a sugary sweet smile. They narrowed their eyes, and she turned back to James, grinning.

He rolled his eyes at her, but she didn't care. These girls had teased her about everything, from her red hair to her non-designer brand shoes, and it was only fair she could show off a bit. Still grinning, she saw Remus and Sirius come walking towards them, Sirius with a smirk on his face, and Remus just looked dead tired.

"Hey Lily." Sirius said.

"Sirius." She said, nodding her head.

He giggled and they all looked at him.

"Really Padfoot. Really. A giggle?" James said.

"What?" Sirius said, mock-offended. "It's perfectly normal and- holy crap it's Tanya! Hey Tanya!" He screamed, running over to her. Lily, James and Remus all looked at each other. The struggles being friends with Sirius came with.

Lily really was going mad. Before she had hated both James and Sirius, and now she was dating one, and friends with another. James saw her shaking her head.

"What? He asked curiously.

"I was just thinking; before I hated you and Sirius, and now I'm friends with him," she said jerking her thumb at his back, "And dating you." She said. James grinned.

"You have no idea how amazing that sounds." He said still smiling.

"So, you two really are dating now?" Remus said, pouring milk into his cereal and rubbing his eyes.

"I guess." Lily said shrugging. There really was no other word for it, though they had never been on an actual date. That same thought seemed to be going through James' mind for he said: "Hey, have you any plans for tonight?"

Lily thought for a moment. "Well, I have to finish the charms homework…"

Remus mock-gasped, and put a hand to his chest, looking astounded.

"Lily Evans, you know that is due today don't you?" He said, shaking his finger at her. She laughed.

"I have an excuse Remus!" She said.

"So do I, but I still found time." He said, grinning. That reminded her…

"Remus! I completely forgot! Are you alright?" She said, wanting to slap herself. Of course, last night had been a full moon, how could she have forgotten? She had found out about his "furry little problem (as the Marauders liked to put it)" in 3rd year.

He waved his hand dismissively. "Same as always. But don't change the subject." He said.

She began to say something but James cut her off.

"Sorry about that by the way Moony." He said, looking ashamed. "We were just about to transfigure when we heard this one scream." He said, looking at Lily.

Alice and Jane joined them, panting.

"Sorry." Jane said, sitting beside Remus.

"We. Over-slept. Not. Used. To. Not. Having. Lily." Alice said, panting between each word. Lily laughed, and Alice sat beside her, waving for Frank to come over. He came over, and so did Sirius with Tanya.

Lily looked at her watch.

"Come on," She said, pulling James' arm. "We've got to get to Transfiguration."

James got up, and took her hand, walking to Transfiguration class with her. They were the first to arrive, and for the first time ever, they sat together.

"Since the class is empty…" James whispered, pulling his bag onto his lap. Lily looked around, it was true. Not even Professor McGonagall had arrived yet. He reached in, and pulled out a few spare quills and notebooks. They were all dark red and gold (Gryffindor colors) except for two.

She picked one of the two up, examining it. It was beautiful.

It was a deep purple, that gradually turned to blue, then green, then yellow, turning to all the colors of the rainbow. She sat, mesmerized by it, and felt James watching her. She looked up to him.

"What do you see on the notebook?" He asked.

She told him, and he watched her with curiosity.

"Why, are you suddenly blind?" She said sarcastically.

He shook his head. "It changes depending on the person who's looking at it. For me, it looks nothing like that." He said simply. She gasped and turned it over, looking at the back. It was different she noticed, and looked at this side, liking it even more. It was a mirror of her and James right now, and it looked like a picture. They were both smiling into the mirror, examining the book. She turned the book away from him, so the mirror would only show her, but it remained a picture of her and James smiling. She turned red, and was happy he couldn't see what she saw.

"Is the back different?" He asked curiously. She nodded. He didn't ask what the back was, probably figuring if she wanted him to know, she would've told him by then.

"What is it?" She asked, opening the notebook. On the inside was note, which flashed in gold, in James' messy slanted writing. She smiled as she read it.

_Dear Lily,_

_This notebook is for you, from me. Don't tell Sirius I gave it to you though, it's supposed to be his. _She laughed.

_This notebook will look like a normal notebook to anyone else now that I've given it to you. What makes this notebook special is that you can write to me in my matching notebook, and I can write back. _She stopped reading.

"Like passing notes?" She said with a smirk. That was a very muggle thing to do.

"Keep reading." He said winking.

_No Lily, not like passing notes. This textbook is magical. Our textbooks are connected to each other's, and as soon as you write something in this notebook, it will appear on my notebook. But to teachers it will look like you're just writing down what they're saying (which you always do anyways). _She smiled.

_I hope you like it,_

_James._

She hugged him.

"Like it?" He asked.

"Of course I do." She said, pulling out her quill, not waiting any longer to test it out.

_Thank you. _She wrote. He opened his notebook, and read what had appeared on his.

"So, even if we are ever separated, I will always be able to communicate with you, through this." He said, holding up his notebook.

"Tell me what you see." She said, pointing to the cover of his book.

"Well," He said, putting down the notebook. "I see me playing Quidditch. And I've just caught the snitch, and I gave it to you." He said. "And then you give me a big kiss." He added on, winking. She grinned.

"Liar." She said, lightly pushing his shoulder. She and him were sitting really close now...

"I'm serious." He said, pushing the hair out of her eyes. She looked up at him and...

"No, _I'm _Sirius." Said a voice from the door, and you didn't need to be a genius to figure out who it was.

"Hey Padfoot." James said, and they both pulled away quickly, turning slightly pink.

"Hey Sirius." Lily said, trying to sound normal. He scoffed at them both.

"Don't you "Hey" me! I know you gave her our notebooks Prongs! What happened to mates before dates?" He said, quoting James from yesterday.

"Padfoot, we haven't used these in ages." James said, sighing and pulling out his Transfiguration textbook, for other people had come in now as well.

"I know." Sirius said brightly, and sat down beside James, forgetting about the notebook. Lily smiled; she loved how easy-going Sirius was.

Sirius whispered something to James and he threw his head back and laughed at whatever Sirius had just said. Sirius walked over to where Remus was sitting with Jane.

"Do I get to hear the joke?" Lily asked innocently.

James shook his head as a no, and continued laughing silently. She mock-pouted, and he grinned.

"You're cute when you're pretending to be mad with me." He told her.

She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Lily, after you finish your charm homework," James said, winking at her. "Would you like to go on a walk with me?" He said.

"Tonight?" She asked. "As in, a date?" She asked, smiling.

He smirked. "I asked you."

"Good morning class." Professor McGonagall interrupted, and Lily felt slightly annoyed. That was twice in less than 10 minutes. Transfiguration was not the class for romance.

Professor McGonagall turned around and looked straight at Lily. Lily felt herself go absolutely red. Professor McGonagall had been teaching her since 1st year, and she was Lily's favorite teacher. She knew everything about Lily, and trust Madame Piper (the school nurse who looked after James and Lily last night) to have told McGonagall everything she knew about them.

"Today we will be pairing up into groups. Of my choosing." She clarified as everyone immediately turned around to their friends. The class sighed, but Lily was quite happy with this fact. She wasn't sure if she should be with Jane and Alice (as she normally was) or if she should be with James. Truth be told, transfiguration was not James' strongest subject, she thought to herself with a smirk.

Professor McGonagall started calling out names, and there were cheers and groans from the class. Lily crossed her fingers under the table to be with someone good.

"Lily Evans and Sirius Black!"

Lily couldn't control her mouth from hanging wide open.

"Yes! Outstanding here I come!" Sirius cheered.

She banged her head on the table. There was no one –_no one- _in this class who was a bigger procrastinator than Sirius Black.

He sidled up beside her, swinging his hips from side to side.

"Hey pardner." He drawled, tipping a fake hat like he was a cowboy.

She rolled her eyes, and looked exasperatedly to where James sat, watching them. When she caught James' eye, he nodded his head to his partner and winked at Lily. Lily noticed his partner was one of the Gryffindor girls that were glaring at her from this morning.

She grinned at him, but it probably came out as more of a grimace.

The girl had light brown hair that was straight down her back, blue eyes, and she wore lots of makeup. She was laughing much too hard at something James had just said.

A wave of jealously overcame Lily and before she could stop herself, she marched over to where James sat with the girl, deserting Sirius completely.

"Hi, I'm Lily Evans." She said brightly, outstretching her hand. The girl looked at her strangely.

"Monica Brown." The girl said, looking for something in Lily's eyes. Lily kept on smiling at the girl, not letting her jealousy get the better of her.

She turned to James and said, "You know James, you should probably be writing notes." And, with a wink, she walked back to where Sirius sat.

She watched James pull out his magic notebook, and write something. Monica looked over to see what he was writing, but he put his arm protectively over his notes, so she couldn't see. Lily would've run up and kissed him right then and there had Professor McGonagall not been watching her.

"So er Sirius," Lily began, feeling McGonagall's stare. "You take notes on page 393, I'll do page 394." She said, and pulled out her real notebook.

Once McGonagall had moved away to the next desk, she pulled out her magical notebook.

_I like it when you're jealous. _It read. She rolled her eyes.

_Oh shut up, you should've seen the looks she was giving you. _She wrote.

_So, about our date tonight… _He wrote, leaving that topic. She grinned, excited for their first date.

_After I finish my Charms homework. _She reminded him.

_Yeah, yeah okay. Gotta go, Monica's getting angry. _He wrote, and she shut her notebook with a slam.

"Done writing to James?" Sirius asked suddenly in her ear, making her jump.

"Merlin Sirius!" She said, putting a hand to her heart. She had completely forgotten he was there. He grinned, and pushed his notes at her. She looked at him curiously; he had actually done his work?

He leaned back in his chair, and looked over her non-magical notebook.

"Wow Lily, I can see you tried really hard working on these." He said sarcastically, for she had written nothing. She smirked at him, and wrote a full page of notes in 5 minutes. She pushed it towards him.

"How's that for trying hard?" She said, grinning.

"Show-off." She heard him mutter, before resting his head on his arms, and falling asleep. She smiled, and wrote the essay alone.

_**Ooh Lily jealousy ;) If you liked this chapter, or found a problem with it, please PLEASE review! I love any constructive criticism I can get :)**_


	13. The First Date

Lily and James were walking back from their long day of classes. James was right-Professor Flitwick was a nervous wreck today, and he didn't mind that Lily had not done the homework.

"In all honesty, when was the last time you didn't do your homework?" James grunted, for he was holding both his books and Lily's.

"You know James, I can take my books. It's fine, seriously." She said. He had insisted on carrying her books all day, and although she could tell he was worn out from it, she loved it.

"No." He grunted again, but winked at her.

She kissed him on the cheek as a thank you, and he stood up a little straighter. She laughed.

"Just keep doing that and I'll hold your books forever." He said, grinning. "But you never answered my question." He reminded her.

She thought long and hard for a while.

"I honestly can't remember." She said, frowning. When _was _the last time she didn't do her homework? There had never been any reason not to do it; she always found time, even if sometimes she had to stay up all night.

He snorted. "I thought you might say that." He said. "Which is why," He stopped walking to hitch up the books. "You're not going to do your Charms homework tonight either." He said seriously. She looked up at him, caught off guard. They were in the Gryffindor common room now, walking up the stairs to their room.

"Meaning…" She said, not understanding.

"Meaning," He said dumping the books on his bed. He picked up her Charms textbook. "You're not going to do this homework." And with that, he waved his wand, and the textbook disappeared. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"What. Have. You. Done." She said, glaring at him.

He shook with laughter, but she was not joking.

"Potter." She spat. "Where the hell have you put it?" She said.

He laughed. "'Potter'? That's what I've been downgraded to now?" He said, laughing.

She said nothing, just continued glaring at him. He sighed.

"C'mon Lils, trust me." He said. She scoffed.

"Where have I heard that one before, designated partner?" She reminded him sarcastically. He winced. He hated when she brought that up, he had been so stupid that night.

He crossed the room, to stand beside her. She turned her back on him, and he hugged her around her waist from the back. She stiffened.

"Please." He breathed into her right ear, pulling her even closer to him.

She didn't know what made her give in. It could have been how close he was, or she was just a sucker for James Potter. All she knew was, she didn't care anymore.

"I guess I can do Charms tomorrow morning." She whispered, and turned around to look into his eyes. She took off his glasses, and put them on her bedside table. He frowned.

"I can't see you now Lily." He said, not letting her go.

"That's the point. Stay here." She said laughing, pulling herself from him. He tightened his grip on her waist.

"Where are you going?" He asked warningly. She laughed again.

"'_Trust me'_ James." She said, repeating what he had said to her. And with that, she ran away. He felt himself over to her bed, and felt around her bedside table. Everything was a blur, and he could only make out his wand on her bedside table.

"Accio glasses!" He said. His glasses hit him square in the face, and fell onto the ground. He winced, hearing a faint _crack_. "Damnit." He muttered, picking up his glasses and putting them on. They now had a thin slit down the middle of the right lens.

She fluttered back to him, wearing a new shirt. Although the crack messed up his vision, he could see that her new shirt was green like her eyes.

"I'm ready for our date. Where are you taking me?" She asked.

"Nowhere. Not until you fix my glasses." He said, pointing to the big crack down them. She frowned, and he sighed. "Please." He said. She smiled, and fixed his glasses with her wand.

"Thanks." He said, wrapping his arms around her waist. She pulled away from him, and he frowned.

"You still haven't told me where we're going." She said, reminding him.

He grinned. "Come on then, follow me." And, grabbing her hand, he pulled her out of their room, out of the Gryffindor common room, and into the corridors.

"Close your eyes." He told her seriously.

"Why?" She asked.

"Close them." He said indifferently. She was disappointed, but she didn't want him to see, not on their first date anyways. She squeezed her eyes shut, and put her hands over her eyes.

Making sure her eyes were in fact closed, he pulled out the Marauder's Map. The guys had let him have it for this, only if he promised not to show it to her.

"I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good." He mumbled, looking for anyone that they might pass in the hallways. The pathway was clear, and he shoved it into his back pocket, after muttering "Mischief Managed."

"Open your eyes." He told her. She took her hands off her eyes, and looked up to him.

"Who were you talking to?" She asked curiously. He sighed, why was she so perceptive?

"Look Lils, you're going to have a lot of questions." He paused. "But if I promise I will tell you eventually, will you trust me?" He said.

She contemplated this for a moment. She then nodded, and he led her into his favorite place on the 7th floor.

She now obeyed every time he told her to do something, not asking any more questions. After pulling out the map several times and checking for anyone coming, they had finally arrived.

Her eyes were covered, and he grabbed her around her waist quickly. She let out a small scream, not expecting that.

"James!" She screamed, while he laughed. "Don't _do _that!" She said, hitting him over the head. He laughed at her weak attempts to hurt him.

"Well?" He said, and led her to a blank wall. She gave him an exhausted look.

"We walk all this time, I follow everything you tell me to do, and _this _is what it was all for?" She sighed, and leaned against the opposing wall.

"Stay." He said, grabbing her hand, squeezing it, and walking to the wall he knew was more than just an ordinary wall.

She watched him with curiosity. What in Merlin's name was he doing? He had a look of deep concentration on his face, and he closed his eyes. He walked past the wall once… twice… she sighed.

_He really has gone mad. _She thought, watching him walk past the wall for the third time. Suddenly, her mouth dropped open. There on the very bare wall, were now two large metal doors. She looked at James, and he smirked at her. He took her hand, and pulled her into the room.

"James! Wait! What is this? Is this safe?" She said, for she had never seen a room that disappears and reappears.

"Trust me." He said, putting his arm around her shoulders. She shook her head. This 'trust me' thing was going to get old, fast.

She followed him into the room, and gasped when she saw it.

_**I hope everyone liked this chapter! If you did, review and tell me why! If you didn't, review and tell me why! I love to hear what you all have to say about it! Reviews make my day, really they do. Thanks for reading! :) xoxo, Taylor**_


	14. The Room Of Requirement

It was just like their dorm, only different. Instead of two double beds, it was one king size bed, with a huge tv, and there was a ginormous bookshelf. She looked at him incredulously.

"What is this place?" She asked quietly.

"The Room of Requirement." He answered simply.

She really took in the room this time.

"A king bed, James?" She said, with a small smirk on her face. He grinned full out at her, showing her all of his perfect white teeth.

"This is our date?" She asked, confused. He frowned slightly.

"Well, I've wanted to show it to you since I first found it, but you've never really wanted to be in 1 meter-radius from me." He said, smirking slightly, remembering those times. It was crazy to think it was just a few days ago that she hated him.

"And the king-size beg is for…" She deliberated, still extremely confused.

His grin stretched even wider. "We're sleeping here tonight." He told her.

She snorted, but choked it back when she realized he was being serious.

"You're… joking?" She asked dubiously.

He shook his head as no, still smirking mischievously.

"And what gave you the idea that I wanted to sleep with you, Potter?" She said, putting her hands on her hips.

"You know _Evans," _he said, not missing the chance to use her last name, since she was doing it. She smirked a little when he said it. "That _might _hurt, if I knew you weren't just kidding yourself." He said, crossing the room in three giant strides, and he leaned down, and kissed her.

It was unlike anything else. They had kissed before sure, but nothing like this. This kiss was deep and passionate, and they both knew it was different. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and she threw her arms around his neck. He closed the distance between them, bringing her as close as possible. She tangled her fingers in his messy hair, and he could feel her smiling.

He picked her up, and has the satisfaction of hearing her let out a little shriek. He pulled her over to the bed, and they sat down, not stopping their kiss once.

She started pulling away, and he couldn't stop himself from frowning, as much as he tried not to.

"What's wrong?" He asked, sad and disappointed. If he had it his way, they wouldn't have stopped, ever.

"We… we can't." She said, sliding off the bed. He remained still, stunned. He had thought the kiss had been magnificent, and could have sworn she thought so too. Looking at her face now though, he wasn't quite so sure.

"Don't take this the wrong way James, but this is our first date. I don't want to spend it kissing you." His face fell even more. She moved over to him, and held his hands in hers. "I want to spend it with you. Talking. Joking around." She said, smiling. He smiled too, despite his disappointment.

"If we're staying the night here James, I'd rather we have separate beds." She said. It wasn't two seconds after she had said that, that the king bed changed into two four-poster beds, like the ones she used to have in her dorm with the girls.

He laughed at her scared expression.

"Did I do that?" She asked.

"No. Well, yes. But no." He said. She frowned. "I mean, you said it, so the room did it. It is called the Room of Requirement for a reason you know Lils." He said, chuckling.

"So then why is our date spot a room James?" She said. "You wished for a room?" She stared pointedly at him, and he laughed.

"No, I mostly just wanted a comfy place for you to read to me." He said.

She watched him walk over to the bookshelf and pick up a book. He brought it over to her and placed it in her hands.

"Cinderella." She whispered, transporting back to her memory.

He nodded, hoping this would trigger some recollection of the dream she had a couple nights ago.

"You want me to read you this?" She asked, voice barely above a murmur. He nodded again.

"Please." He said. She moved soundlessly over to the bed on the left. He followed her, and sat at the foot of her bed, as she sat at the head of it.

She looked at him for any further instructions. She really didn't have a clue what was going on. Something took over her and before she knew it, she blurted out:

"I had a dream."

"I know." He said.

"About my mother. And my sister."

"What happened?"

"My sister and I wanted my mother to read us this," She said, holding up the book. "But she wouldn't. She just gave us two glasses of water, and handed me Mr. Fuzzy." She blushed, and he urged her to go on. "Then I fell asleep." She shrugged. He stared at her for a long time.

"Read it. Please, I'd like to hear it." He said, and she opened up the book, and started reading, with perfect articulation and pronunciation of every single word. He could've fallen asleep right then and there, had he not wanted to hear every word of it. Her voice was soothing and soft, and he wanted to… Well he wasn't sure, but kissing her again seemed like a good idea. It seemed like a good idea; until he remembered last time he had kissed her, and he deserted that idea immediately.

"And so the prince searched the land for the princess. He knocked on every door, trying to find the girl's foot that would fit into this shoe." She read.

"What?" He interrupted. She smirked; she knew he would find this part weird. She always had as a child as well, although Petunia had always loved it. She supposed it was because even as a child she scrutinized everything she heard, every fact she learned, unable to stop herself from learning everything she could.

"He tried to find the perfect girl using a shoe?" He said, incredulous. She nodded, still smirking. "And it worked?" He asked. She shrugged her shoulders, not wanting to give away the ending. "All these times I've been trying to get you, and all I needed was a crummy glass slipper." He said, shaking his head. She laughed, and he grinned, happy to make her laugh.

"You don't know if works or not yet though!" She said.

He gave her a look. "This is a muggle children's story Lily. I know they all end in happily ever after."

"But let's say Cinderella's foot grows overnight. It's her, but he won't know." She said, trying to find an alternate ending. She knew a person's foot would not grow that much overnight, but it was fun to pretend.

He snorted. "And what, her face is suddenly completely changed? Or did the prat only look at those damn shoes the whole night?" He grinned.

"He was an awful dancer. If he hadn't have been looking down, he would've trod on her feet!" She said, giggling.

"That bloody Prince. Unfortunately, the Prince and I share the same problems. Both too good-looking to stop any female from falling for us," Lily roared with laughter, which James chose to ignore. "And both can't dance to save their lives." He finished.

She stopped laughing. "You… James Potter. Can't dance?" She asked, astonished. He nodded sheepishly.

"Runs in the Potter male blood." He said, thumping his chest.

"Funny because dancing amazingly runs in _my _family blood." She told him, laughing.

He fixed her with a mischevious smile.

"Care to test that theory out?" He said, winking. Before she could ask what he meant, he was already saying something else.

"I sure do wish we had some music to dance to!" No sooner had he said this, that soft music played from who knows where. She looked around the room, trying to figure out where the music was coming from. Before she knew it, James was right beside her, pulling her off the bed.

She followed reluctantly. She really was a superb dancer, but she was not looking forward to dancing with James, if he really was as horrible as he said he was.

He put one hand over her waist, and grabbed her other hand. She put her hand over his shoulder, and they stepped to the music. Lily moving gracefully, James moving awkwardly, she laughed and starting leading instead.

In all honesty, he wasn't _that_ bad once he got started.

_Or it could be the fact he has an amazing partner. _She thought smugly, grinning to herself.

"One two three, one two three." She counted under her breath, moving in coordination with him.

_My god, she is good. _James thought to himself, looking down at her feet, trying his hardest not to step on them, as they moved around quickly. He let her take control, and she guided him through the moves. They spun in circles around the room for about 10 minutes straight.

_This song is never ending! _He thought to himself silently, not wanting to be the first to end their dance. She was smiling and laughing, having fun, and he wasn't going to ruin it. He took his eyes off her feet, and looked her in the eyes. She was looking at him too, and he guessed that she had been this whole time.

The song slowly faded away, and it started into a new one. This one was not a waltz, and so he had no idea what to do. He looked at her.

She put her arms around his neck, and rested her head on his shoulder. Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around her waist, and pulled her close. They swayed from side to side, and he thought to himself silently that liked this dance a lot better.

"You know you're not a terrible dancer." She murmured, still head resting on his shoulder. He chuckled, and before thinking, swung her down into a dip. It was like those dance moves he had seen on the muggle tv when he was a kid- he used to watch just for laughs with his dad.

She let out a small gasp but her dancing reflects kicked in, and she swung low, putting her complete faith in him.

When he pulled her back up, she smiled.

"Where on earth did you learn that?" She asked, astonished.

"Muggles." He said, flashing her all of his teeth. She chortled and so did he, and they danced some more.

"I like dancing with you." He said to her softly.

She stopped dancing for a millisecond, taken aback by his last comment. He noticed of course.

"Sorry." He said.

"No, don't apologize! It's just… I really like dancing with you too." She smiled at him, and kissed him on the cheek.

"You know, you never finished your story." He said, still dancing. They both hadn't stopped this whole time.

"I know." She sighed. "But sometimes it's so much better to live your own fairytale than to read one." She said, smiling.

He didn't stop to think of what a 'fairytale' is. He didn't ask her either. He just wanted to stay like this, with Lily in his arms, forever.


	15. A Man With A Plan

James woke up, and looked around the room. He didn't have that second of 'where the heck am I?' because he knew this place almost better than his dorm. He was in the Room of Requirement with Lily Evans. He looked over to his right.

"Lily." He breathed, watching her reading her Charms textbook and writing down the essay that was supposed to be due yesterday. She looked up and smiled at him.

"Yes, it's funny. I simply wished I could have my Charms homework and there it was on the desk waiting for me." She said, chuckling.

_She's in a good mood. _He thought to himself, smiling. Last night was amazing. After they had danced, she read the rest of Cinderella to him. He didn't remember the ending though… He had probably fallen asleep by that time.

"Almost done?" He asked carefully, not wanting to upset her. She ignored him, but wrote a final sentence on her essay, and finished by flicking up her hand.

"Done." She said, grinning at him. He loved when her green eyes lit up like that.

"C'mere then, what are you waiting for?" He said laughing, and she leaped off her bed, and sat onto his.

"You know Lils, I have the first Quidditch match of the year in a couple hours." He said. She frowned slightly, sad their date had to end.

"But you'll come won't you?" He said, containing a grin. She hated Quidditch, she didn't understand any of it, and she had always been a lousy flyer. To his surprise though, she nodded.

"I'll come if you want me to." She said thoughtfully. "But right now, we should probably eat." And she jumped off the bed, and took his hand. They walked to the Great Hall together seeing Remus and Jane sitting beside each other, and talking. Lily and James both grinned at them, and they both turned red. James and Lily passed by them, and took a seat further down the table.

"Lils, this will be the first time you've ever come to see Quidditch won't it?" He asked.

She nodded, and he roared with laughter.

"I was joking Lily! You're telling me you've actually never been?" He asked doubtfully.

She nodded again. She knew it was weird; she had to be the only 7th year that had never watched a Quidditch match. But she had never really understood, and she didn't need a constant reminder that she was absolute rubbish at flying.

"But… but Lily! That's completely and utterly mad!" He said, still in shock. Not that he had ever seen her before at one of his Quidditch matches, but she had dated the Hufflepuff beater Marcus Spinnet in 5th year and the Ravenclaw keeper John Bell last year. He would have thought she had at least been to one of their matches!

She grimaced. "I know it's mad, but it's the truth. So you'll have to ask the announcer to really explain what's going on for me okay?" She said, smirking.

He smiled. "If you're coming to my match Lily, I will _personally_ announce what's happening." He said, gesturing to himself. She raised one eyebrow, skeptical, and crossed her arms.

"Okay." She said, grinning. He wasn't aware of what he had said entailed until now. How in the bloody hell was he going to do that exactly? Suddenly, a thought struck him. Kissing her swiftly, he ran over to where Remus sat, a plan already forming in his mind.

_**AN: Sorry for not posting in awhile.. right now I'm in France :) Hope you all liked this chapter & review, thanks! :)**_


	16. The Spell

"Moony! Moony!" He whispered, tugging on his friend's elbow.

"Just a sec Jane," Remus said politely. He turned around to face his friend. "What is the matter with you?" He demanded, whispering. James grinned.

"Sorry Jane," James said, ignoring Remus. "I've got to take Remus here for awhile. But Lil's over there." He said, nodding to where his girlfriend sat, still watching him with crossed arms and a smirk. James directed Remus to where no one sat.

"Moony, I need your help." He said. Remus looked at him curiously. James saw Jane walk over slowly to where Lily was still sitting, watching James.

"I need you to do that spell…" James said.

"I'll need you to be a tad more descriptive than that." Remus said sarcastically.

James explained the problem that he was in, and when he was finished, Remus rolled his eyes.

"Prongs, you've really got to think before you say things."

"I know, I know, but right now I need that spell."

"What spell?" Remus demanded. James sighed. And everyone said Remus was the smartest out of the Marauders.

"Well isn't it obvious? The voice-switching spell!" He said exasperatedly.

Remus rolled his eyes. "James, we learned that in fourth year. You honestly don't remember it?" He said. James racked his brains…

"Is it… Present Vocal?" James said. Remus snorted into his cereal.

"Don't be so daft Prongs, when have you ever known a spell to be in English? It's _Praesent Vocem_!" He laughed, gesturing to James' wand.

"You do it." James said quickly. "Just in case."

Remus sighed, pulled out his wand and whispered "_Praesent Vocem!" _

James felt tight around the throat, and he gasped, clutching his hands around his throat. Remus did the same, knocking over his cereal to get some water. Remus glugged the water, and James' throat soothed instantly. Remus gestured wildly and silently for James to drink some water, and he did quickly. Remus breathed out heavily.

"Oh thank Merlin!" James said, unable to control himself. He clutched his throat again. The words had spilled out, and he hadn't told them to.

He looked desperately at Remus who grinned. "Sorry Prongs, forgot to tell you. I can now speak from your mouth and you can speak from mine, and we can't stop each other from doing so."

James frowned. "That's… confusing." He tried to say, but it came out of Remus' mouth. "Why did you do the spell now? I've still got two bloody hours until the match!" Remus said, though really it was James.

"Well sorry! I just thought we should practice it a bit before the real thing okay?" James said, but it was really Remus.

James sighed. This was going to take some getting used to.

"So while I'm up playing Quidditch I can still talk to Lily through you?" Remus said.

Remus nodded.

"Yes." James said. "Just as long as I sit beside her, which I will."

"But don't tell her anything about it!" Remus said, not wanting Lily to know he was going to explain her the game through Remus.

"Okay fine Prongs." James said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I want to go speak with my girlfriend." James said, and Remus started to walk towards Jane.

James pushed a hand into Remus' chest, stopping him.

"So you two are dating now?" Remus said, in disbelief. Remus frowned at the tone.

"You wouldn't think I would be?" James asked, sounding a little hurt.

"C'mon Moony, I always knew you could do it!" Remus said, and James patted Remus on the back. Remus continued walking to Jane.

"But… wait." Remus said, James stopping Remus again. Remus waited.

"How in the bloody hell does this work?" Remus said.

"What do you mean Prongs?" James said, confusedly.

"Well, I mean, if you're going to go see your girlfriend, and I'm going to go see my girlfriend, but we both control each other's voices…" Remus trailed off, James hoping Remus would explain this part of the spell to him.

"Ah, but this is why so few wizards use this spell Prongs." James said. "I expect in a couple decades nobody will use it anymore. I always wondered why they taught it to us… rather useless spell, really." James said, and James rolled his eyes.

"Thank you Professor Lupin, for that amazing lesson." Remus said. "But that doesn't solve our problem." James crossed his arms.

"I know." James said, and Remus sighed. "We'll just have to spend the whole day together, and talk when it's the other person's turn to talk." James scrunched up his face in concentration.

"So… if someone says 'Hey Remus!' I have to reply?" Remus asked.

"Exactly." James said.

"This is going to be hard work." Remus said, and James put a hand to his forehead.

"The things I do for you Prongs." James said.

"Just one thing Moony…" Remus said, and James put a hand on Remus' shoulder, making sure he had his full attention.

"Yes?" James said, and James winced.

"That. Don't do that." Remus said, and Remus looked confused. "Don't say 'yes?' say 'yeah?'. Talk like how I normally would 'kay?" Remus said.

Remus sighed. "And the same for you." James said. "Don't be rude to Jane, or to anyone for that matter."

"We should have a secret code for if we're not doing the other person right." James said, and Remus put a hand to his chin.

"That's what she said." Remus said, James chortling. Remus kicked James in the shins lightly.

"That's our code." Remus gestured to where he had kicked James. "And don't ever say that again while you're my voice." James said, in a warning tone.

James rolled his eyes, and he and Remus walked to where their girlfriends sat.

_**AN: Sorry for the long break, I've been (*insert bad excuse here*)  
><strong>__**I hope you forgive me ! ;)  
><strong>__**Anyways, as usual, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and chapters will be coming much more frequently now.  
><strong>__**Please review, and not because I want more reviews, really that doesn't matter to me.  
><strong>__**I just really LOVE knowing what you all thought about it. Really, good or bad criticism, it makes my day.  
>Thanks for reading, (and reviewing? haha) I love you all :)<br>-Taylor **_


	17. It's Complicated

_**AN: Just a fair warning, this chapter is VERY confusing. Just remeber that James and Remus switched voices, so when it says 'Remus said' it really means James said, but it's coming from Remus' mouth. Thank you :)**_

__"Hey." James said, pausing slightly, then sitting down. Lily gave him a worried look, and he squeezed her hand.

"What was that all about?" Jane asked Remus.

_Uh-Oh. _James thought. "Um, J-James just had to ask me about the Charms homework he still hasn't done." Remus said, and then rolled his eyes and chuckled. James grinned- he thought Remus might like that.

"Yeah, I forgot again!" James said. Remus was silently shaking with laughter now, and Jane was watching him curiously. James saw Jane tilt her head towards Remus and whisper something, but James couldn't hear it. Remus widened his eyes at James and shook his head ever so slightly.

"No." Remus whispered back, and then Remus gave James the smallest wink he could muster without being seen by both girls.

_That was close. _James thought. Lily was now resting her head on James' shoulder, and he brushed her hair over her shoulder.

James so wanted to say something, but how was Remus supposed to know? Suddenly, an idea struck him.

"Say 'You'd better watch me and only me at the Quidditch match'" He murmured under his breath so only Remus could hear what he himself was saying. Remus jumped slightly, but understood.

"I hope you enjoy yourself at the Quidditch match." James said politely, and he had to sustain himself from reaching over and smacking Remus. When in Merlin would James ever say 'I hope you enjoy yourself'? What was Remus playing at? He told him what he wanted him to say!

Lily looked at him curiously. "Er- yeah. I-I think I will, why?" She said, confused. He didn't blame her.

"God damnit Remus, listen you prat!" Remus mumbled under his breath again so only Remus could hear him.

"Sorry." James mumbled softly, and James jumped, not expecting this. "You sounded so arrogant in your way though, and you know how much Lily hates that."

"At least I didn't sound like a simpering puppy dog!" Remus mumbled, but James forgot to keep him voice low.

"Did you say something Remus?" Jane asked.

"Oh never you mind!" Remus snapped at her, and she scoffed at him, before turning her back on him.

_Oh crap. _James thought.

"What the hell James!" James whispered, and Remus was glaring at him.

"I'm sorry, it slipped out! I'm not used to being so nice to Jane!" He said, defending himself. Remus sounded really angry, and although James knew he deserved it, he hadn't gotten this mad at Remus for his screw-up with Lily!

"Girls, R-Remus and I are going to go get Sirius and Peter. They're probably not even awake yet, and we need Sirius to play his position as… as… er…" James trailed off.

"Beater!" Remus shouted out, saving Remus.

They walked away quickly, and James glared at Remus.

"Seriously? How long have you been coming to our matches and you don't even know what your best mate plays?" Remus said, James throwing his arms up exasperatedly. Remus simply shrugged, and looked back at the girls.

"They know something's up." James said, and James nodded in agreement.

They were both silent for a beat.

"Sorry about that bit with Jane mate." Remus said.

"I'll forgive you if you forgive me for that mistake with Lily." James said. They both nodded and then that was that.

* * *

><p>They walked up to Remus, Sirius, Peter, Frank, and Justin's (their new roommate) room. No surprise here, Sirius, Peter and Frank were all asleep, and Justin was taking a shower.<p>

"Oi! Wake up you noggle heads!" Remus shouted, as James threw pillows at their heads.

"Noggle heads? Remus, really? I would've thought that you being the O average student you are would've though of a better name to call us than that." Sirius said tiredly, rubbing his eyes.

Remus rolled his eyes.

"That wasn't me, it was James." James said.

Peter sat up, scratching his head. "Has he gone mad?" Peter whispered to Remus.

"Yes, we both have." James answered from across the room.

Frank yawned, and went back to bed, while Sirius and Peter stayed up, curiosity getting the better of them.

"What in the ruddy hell are you talking about?" Sirius said.

"We did that one spell… you know, the one where… er…" Remus trailed off, and Sirius and Peter gasped. Remus never forgot a spell, ever.

"_Seriously? How long have you been coming to classes and you don't even know a spell we learned in fourth year?"_ James said, Remus was quoting James from earlier when Remus had forgotten Sirius' position.

"This is different." Remus said briskly, and Remus snorted.

"You grab Moony, I'll take Prongs. I'm thinking it's something like multiple-personality disorder or something." Sirius mumbled quickly to Peter.

"Multiple-wha?" Peter asked confused, but Sirius didn't wait. Sirius tackled James to the ground, pining his hands and feet to the ground.

"Ouch Padfoot! Geroff me!" Remus yelled, though Remus was quite safe from any harm, and James had to admit; it looked pretty silly, this whole scene.

James, unable to speak through his own mouth, resorted to the one thing he could control.

He punched Sirius in the mouth. Sirius fell back, blood dripping from him mouth, and James sat on top of him.

"Stop squirming Padfoot! Just shut up and listen!" Remus shouted. Sirius turned his head to Remus.

"Who the hell are you two people?" Sirius yelled.

"Will you just listen-?" James said.

"I'm not listening to a word until-"

"Padfoot you stupid arse listen-!"

"Don't you tell me what to do Moony-!"

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! _Shut up!"_ Peter screamed.

They all turned to look at him.

"Since you've clearly all gone mad! If you don't mind, I'm going to get some breakfast!" Peter screamed again, scuttling out of the room and fast as his little legs would carry him.

"What a fat a-" Remus started but James cut him off.

"James!" James gasped.

"What?" Remus replied, and Sirius just looked about ready to tackle James again.

"Padfoot, listen okay? You know that spell that changes your voice with another's voice? Yeah, well me and Moony used that spell okay? Now stop squirming so I can fix your mouth." Remus said, as James pulled out his wand.

"Er- maybe I ought to fix it." James said, Remus pulling out his wand. Sirius backed away quickly from James, who was now pointing his wand at Sirius' mouth.

"Who'sh got Remushes shmartnesh?" Sirius said, unable to speak properly from the blood, but still backing away from James. Remus rolled his eyes.

"I have obviously." James said.

"I'm not so sure about that." Remus said.

"Well Sirius, then we'll leave it up to you to decide who does it." James said.

"Well, why don't we both just do it at the same time? So we get your words, and your actions? You always say the movement of the wand is half the spell right?" Remus said.

"I suppose it's our only hope. If only they'd covered all this in the textbooks." James said, and Remus sighed.

"On the count of three then. One, two, three!" They said, shouting the spell for fixing Sirius' bloody mouth. James opened one eye hesitantly; afraid of what he would see.

"How do you feel?" James said carefully. Sirius felt his mouth with his hand tentatively.

"That depends. How do I look?" He said, grinning. But he held his grin longer than necessary. His grin stayed, for an awkward amount of time. Sirius put his hands to his mouth, and tugged at the edges of his grin, but nothing happened. It stayed at a grin, and it looked rather creepy when it was held like that for so long.

Remus gasped and James rolled on the floor laughing. Only stopping when Remus would have something to say like, "Oh I'm so sorry Padfoot!" or "This is all my fault, I'll fix it!", but it would come out from James' mouth.

"No!" Sirius scrambled away from James. "I'll just go to the hospital wing, and get this looked after!" He said, still grinning. The grin ruined everything he was saying, James couldn't take Sirius- well- seriously!

"But you can't, Quidditch is in just like, an hour and a half and we have practice in like 15!" Remus said, and James threw his arms around dramatically.

"This is so confusing." Sirius said. "Who's Prongs and who's Moony?"

"I'm Moony, but I'm still Moony in my actual body, it's only my voice that's in Prongs'." Said James.

"Yeah, same here." Said Remus.

"So who's going to play Quidditch?" Sirius asked, raising one eyebrow. Remus and James both grimaced.

"Don't do that." James said.

"Do what?" Sirius asked.

"Raise your eyebrows… while you're grinning. You look like a deranged clown." Remus said. "And obviously I'm going to Quidditch." Remus said.

"But when he says 'I' he means me." James said. Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Still confused…"

"The body of James is going to play Quidditch and he will play as usual, just don't talk to him!" Said James, and Remus threw down his arms, fed up.

"Just don't talk to him… why not?" Sirius asked. This time it was James' turn to get fed up.

"Don't be an idiot Padfoot! Because Remus is my voice! We can just say I've lost my voice for the day okay?" Remus shouted.

"O…kay?" Sirius said. They both exhaled. Their best friend could be so mental sometimes.

_My best friends are both mental. They have both gone mad, what the hell am I supposed to do? _Sirius thought to himself.

This could take some getting used to.

_**AN: As usual, I'd love to hear any feedback from this chapter. Also, in an upcoming chapter I'll be needing some new characters, so if you'd like to be in this book, tell me your name in the reviews, and a basic description of yourself. Or you can just make up a character if you don't want to put your information on here! **_ _**Thanks for reading!**_

_**-Taylor :)**_


	18. The Quidditch Match

James, Remus and Sirius all walked down to the Quidditch pitch, an hour before the game for their pre-match practice.

Sirius had, unpredictably, had enough time to run to the hospital wing and get his creepy grin looked after.

"Now remember Moony," Remus said. "Don't talk. Like, ever. Sirius will tell them all I've lost my voice." He said, then paused. "Or, your voice. Whatever."

Remus nodded, and left them to go sit in the stands. James sighed, and walked into the change rooms with Sirius.

"Hey hey!" Sirius called out, skipping into the change room. James waved at his team.

"James lost his voice." Sirius said, bored.

"Just as long as it won't affect your game." Their captain, said sternly to James, who nodded in response.

This was the first Quidditch match of the year, and their team was pumped. They had had few practices, because the first Quidditch match fell so early in the school year, but they were all confident with each other.

They all changed into their uniforms, and piled out of the change rooms.

This year, there were no girls on the Quidditch team, and Sirius abused this privilege to the fullest extent.

"So Prongs," Sirius started loudly so the whole team could hear. "Tanya wants me." He said confidently, shaking his hair a little, making it messier than usual. James rolled his eyes and chuckled.

The rest of the team broke out into questions they would only ask if, say, there were no girls in earshot. Which, by chance, there were not.

Sirius answered them all with winks and suggestive grins, which put the whole team in a good mood. That, and the fact that it was a perfect day for some good Quidditch, kept their team laughing and yelling through out the whole practice. Before they knew it, the Hufflepuffs had entered the stadium, and crossed over to the change rooms.

"Alright team!" James' captain called. "File back into the change rooms!" He yelled, zooming back to the ground. James and Sirius followed, still laughing from Sirius' last joke.

James cast a glance into the stands, and saw Remus. Remus waved, smiling, and pointed to the girl sitting beside him, who was also waving.

_Lily. _

He waved back and grinned hugely at her. He saw her throw her head back ever so slightly, and laugh.

Now that she had his attention it was time for what she had waited for.

She blew him a kiss from the stands, but he saw something actually coming to him. It looked like a small piece of paper, folded over twice. He reached for it, but at the last moment, it flew away. He grabbed it quickly after two tries, Seeking skills kicking in, and opened the note.

It had a red lipstick stain on in, and beside that, the note read:

_Dear James,_

_Play well, that was just a little extra practice for you._

_Love Lily_

He shoved the note into the front pocket of his robes, keeping it safe there, and waving goodbye, he ran into the change rooms.

"Now that James is back," his captain said impatiently. As serious as James took Quidditch, no one _(no one) _took it quite as seriously as their captain, Michael Wood.

James rolled his eyes, and reminded himself not to speak, for Remus would then talk, and that would confuse Lily. James suddenly wondered how Remus was doing with Lily, being not able to talk.

"Alright team." Said Wood, interrupting his thoughts. "This match matters. Every match matters. We are going to win the house cup this year, I know it. We've got the best team I've seen in a long time, and although we lost a Chaser and a Beater, I am happy to say this is my team!" Wood shouted, and Cameron Davies and Jeff Lewis (the two newest addictions to the team, who were replacing the Chaser and Beater from last year) high fived each other and whooped loudly.

"I want every one of you to give this game everything you've got, alright?" The team whooped and cheered in response. "Now, cheer on three! One… Two…" Wood counted down and the boys all broke into song:

_Gryffindor, Gryffindor, that's our cheer  
><em>_The teams will know from far and near!  
><em>_Lions, Lions, hear our roar,  
><em>_All we'll do is score, score, score!_

They finished, voices sore from yelling and screaming. Unfortunately, James couldn't participate, so he just did a crazy dance around the circle, causing his teammates to burst into howls of laughter.

"Let's go!" Wood roared over the commotion, and they all sprinted onto the field, holding their broomsticks ready, grinning at the cheers they got from the stands. Well, the Gryffindor stands anyway. They ignored the hisses and boos they were getting from the Hufflepuff end, and the Slytherins that had come to watch as well.

James looked over to where Lily and Remus sat. Lily was grinning from ear to ear, with a winning, confident smile on her face.

_She thinks I can't do it. _He thought, watching her. _Is she about to be proven wrong. A_nd with the whistle, he kicked off.

_"Potter kicks off, with amazing timing and speed. May I mention that he is also very good-looking and has an incredible personality to boot." _He said, but no sound came out. He looked over to Remus, hoping it worked, and saw Remus grimacing and grinning, and Lily just looked stunned.

"_It's me Lils." _ James said silently, and watched while Remus' mouth formed what he had just said. Lily slowly turned to look at James.

James winked at her, and she put a hand to her mouth, gasping. She shook her head, grinning, and watched the match, arms crossed, and smiling.

_"Potter looks for the Snitch, and there's still no sign of it. He's keeping out of the way from Bludgers, a very good idea by his captain, Michael Wood. May I take this time to explain you the game m'lady. You see, Quidditch is a very complex game, that only few can perfect." _He said, grinning smugly at her. She stuck out her tongue and him, but continued listening while Remus said everything he did.

_"There are 7 players on each team. 3 chasers- they do the scoring with the Quaffle-, 2 beaters- they're the ones with the big clubs-, 1 keeper- that's Wood, over by the three giant hoops-, and then there's me, the Seeker, who attempts to find the Snitch and take it before the other team. When you get the Snitch, you get 150 points, so almost (unless your teams completely rubbish), an instant win." _He finished, still looking diligently for the Snitch. There was still no sight of it, and he realized with a twinge of annoyance that the opposing Seeker –Randy Green- was watching his every move.

_I'll get rid of you. _He thought to himself. He sped up in one direction quickly, and to his expectation, Randy followed.

"_Looks like Potter has seen the Snitch." _He said, figuring this would probably be exactly what the announcer's saying right now.

"_Green follows Potter, no surprise, the big lug can't fly on his own, but oho! Potter sweeps out of the dive just in time, while it looks like Green's having some troubles. That'll teach you to mess with Potter, Green!" _He shouted, but no sound came out.

A flicker of gold suddenly raced into his view, and was gone just as quickly. He raced in the direction he'd seen it, but he was gone.

_Damnit. _He thought to himself. _Alright, no more fooling around, let's go._

He soared over the stands, and he saw it. That golden Snitch was zooming in one spot, and he sped up, and stretched out his arm. He knew Green was behind him, but he had had a head start, and he was closer.

The Snitch was inches away… He gripped onto his broomstick tightly with one hand, and let the other stretch as far as it could. He was so close… he… he…

"_I'VE GOT THE GOLDEN SNITCH!" _He yelled, holding it up in the air.

Cheers erupted from the Gryffindors, and Sirius was soon by his side, slapping him on the shoulder. Together they did two loops in the sky, and finished off by standing on their broomsticks, and waving to the stands. James saw a flash of red, and he was off from Sirius' side instantly.

He flew up to her, and soon they were face to face. Unable to speak, he handed the Snitch over to her.

"James…" She began, but he wrapped her fingers around it, and kissed her hard. She kissed him on the lips, throwing her arms around his neck. After what could have been hours and hours, they both pulled away, grinning and laughing.

He gave her a small salute and flew down to the grass. His team engulfed him in cheers and before he knew it, they had picked him up and put him on their shoulders.

_"Potter is the best damn player  
><em>_That you will ever meet!  
><em>_So when you try to beat our team,  
><em>_You know he'll bring the heat!"_

The team erupted into roars and Wood shot a flame into the sky.

"_Lions!" _They yelled, still carrying James. They carried him off the field and into the change rooms.

"Right team!" Wood started, grinning. "That was one of the best matches we've ever played!" He said, and the team cheered in agreement. "Fabian! Gideon! Cameron! You three know how to Chase!" He said to the three Chasers, who grinned hugely at him, and cheered again. "Sirius! Justin! I swear you two were made to be Beaters together!" He said, and Sirius and Justin did a little dance, and high-fived each other. "James… what can I say?" Wood said, patting him on the back, the team erupting into cheers again.

"We think you're the best Keeper ever!" Sirius yelled out, grinning. Wood pretended to blush, and grinned at his team, tears brimming in the center of his eyes.

"I can't believe it… This team is just so amazing. This is the best team Gryffindor's had in years. We're going to win the house cup, you mark my words." He said seriously, and then grinned. "Now get outta here! I know there will be a party up in the common room, and you don't want to miss out on _that." _He said, wagging his eyebrows. The team roared with laughter, and changed quickly.

James and Sirius walked out of the change rooms and saw Remus, Peter, Lily, Marlene (Lily's friend), Jane, Alice and Frank waving at them. They ran over.

"Remus." James murmured and Remus said it. Remus motioned him over.

"Just a sec everybody." James said, despite himself.

They walked over to where no one was, and Remus did the counter-curse.

"Great." James said, and for the first time since that morning, he heard his own voice saying exactly what he wanted it to. "Thanks for all your help Moony, truly." He said seriously. "And if there's anything I can say to Jane…" He said, guiltily.

"Don't worry about it, Lily explained everything to Jane once she figured it out herself." Remus said, waving his hand dismissively. James embraced Remus, so thankful to have a friend so smart.

"Shall we?" Remus said, gesturing back to their group. James nodded, and they practically skipped back to their friends.

They arrived to see Sirius no longer glowing with pride and accomplishment, but now glaring at…

"Tanya?" James whispered.

"I'm serious!" She screeched. The sound of her already high-pitched voice becoming even scratchier made James want to cover his ears. Remus, who's hearing was much better than all of theirs, winced.

"No, I'm Sirius." Sirius said calmly, though there was a glint of darkness in his eyes, that only came into them when somebody had insulted him, bad.

"Oh shut up Sirius!" She screeched again, making Remus whimper in pain.

"Stop deafening my friend Tanya." Sirius said, calm still. It was weird, seeing him so calm, and James knew something big had happened. She rolled her eyes, not caring in the slightest bit if she was hurting Remus' ears. And that was it.

"We're over." Sirius said, growling like a dog. Tanya stepped back, surprised by the change of his tone.

"W-what?" She asked.

"Unless your screeches have deafened your ears as well, I'm pretty sure you heard me. We. Are. Through." He said, pausing between in each word.

James looked at Lily, who looked from the corner of her eyes at him. James widened his eyes at her imploringly, then nudged his head to Sirius and Tanya, asking what was going on.

She shook her head, dismissing their silent conversation, and looked back to the fight.

_Note to self: Never insult James' Quidditch abilities. _Lily thought to herself, thinking back on how that was all that had happened to start this argument. If Sirius took it this way (which, obviously he did) then she would assume James would too.

"Get over yourself Turner." Sirius said darkly to Tanya, using her last name. "And don't ever speak to me, or my friends, ever again." He finished, and she stormed away. Slowly, everyone turned back to look at Sirius, who was huffing out short breaths, still glaring at her retreating back.

"Bitch." He muttered darkly, and then he brightened. "Alright, who's up for a party in the common room?" He asked his friends, as if nothing had just happened. There was a long, awkward pause where no one wanted to say anything

"I am." Lily's friend, Marlene said bravely, cutting across the silence. Sirius grinned at her, then gallantly offered her his arm. Marlene brushed past him, ignoring him, and lead the group. Sirius' jaw dropped open and he stared after her for a moment, then looked back to his friends.

James grinned at him, and Sirius winked back, running after Marlene.

"Hey, I don't believe we've properly met." James heard him say suavely. "I'm-"

She cut him off. "Sirius Black." She finished, and then smiled. "I know who you are. I'm-"

Sirius cut her off. "Marlene Hamilton. I know who you are." He said, smirking. James watched their backs, and looked down at Lily, who was walking beside him, holding his hand.

"Marlene and Sirius. I give 'em about a day." James said, staring after his best mate, smiling.

Lily looked at him. "To get together, or to stay together?" She asked.

"Both." He said, grinning. She didn't laugh along though, instead, she shook her head.

"You might know your best friend James, but I know mine. And Marlene is not easy." She said in warning tone, hoping he would pass this along to Sirius. James grinned to himself.

"Good." James said darkly. "It'll teach him something for once then." And with that, they continued walking to the Gryffindor common room.

_**AN:  
>So! Since I was gone for a while, I now have like, 10 chapters to post.<br>So, basically, just be on the lookout for new chapters everyday!  
>As usual, reviews are better than anything in the world, and it really does make my day to read them.<br>And if you want you character to be in this fanfic, it's never too late to ask! Since I have so many extra chapters to post, there will be readers' names popping out everywhere! :)  
>So if you reviewed and told me yours, look forward to seeing yourself soon (hopefully!) <strong>_


	19. Lily's Date Spot

Lily woke up the next morning and looked at the time.

"Eurgh." She mumbled, rubbing her eyes. "6:30."

Last night had been so much fun. Wood had planned a party, claiming he had the best team in the world, and nearly tearing up. James, not really in the mood for a party had asked Lily if she'd like to take a walk instead. She said yes, thankful, for she hadn't wanted to party much either.

She got up and walked to the bathroom, careful not to wake James.

Lily looked in the mirror and winced. She had huge purple circles under her eyes and her hair was a mess. They had stayed up pretty late last night, running around the school. Every so often James would tell her to shut her eyes, then lead her around another corner. Amazingly, they hadn't gotten caught at all.

Stepping into the shower, she took her time standing, letting the hot water steam down. She loved taking showers; it was like her time to think, without any interruptions. She felt she could tackle life's biggest problems in the shower, which is what she felt she had to do now.

Where could she take James on their next date?

Sure, it's traditional for the guy to take her out, but he had taken her to the Room of Requirement! How was she supposed to top that? She sighed, and picked up her bottle of strawberry shampoo. It was a lot emptier as it should have been, because James used it as well. She smirked, and lathered some into her hair, inhaling her favorite scent in the whole world.

The problem was, he knew virtually every place in the school, and she knew virtually none of them. Where on earth could she take him?

She sighed and turned off the shower. She couldn't believe even a shower hadn't helped her think of someplace to go. She stepped out, grabbed a towel and dried herself off. She changed into her normal clothes. Though the spell Dumbledore taught her to change did come in handy, if she had the chance, she liked changing the normal way better... Then a brilliant idea struck her.

She walked out of the bathroom, and saw that James was still asleep, snoring soundlessly. She walked over to his bedside, and knelt down.

She kissed him gently on the lips. He awoke with a jolt, and it took him a moment to realize what was happening. He kissed her back tiredly and he could feel her smiling.

"Good morning." She whispered into his ear. He smiled groggily.

"Mornin'." He mumbled, still extraordinarily tired. What time was it?

He rubbed his eyes, and looked at the clock. "Seven?" He said, unimpressed.

She grinned at him.

"We're going on a date." She said, grabbing his hands and pulling him up. Unenthusiastically, he let her pull him up and yawned. "Bloody hell, right now?"

She nodded, excitably, and he scowled at her.

"If I must." He said sarcastically, and walked out of bed. "Have I got time to shower?"

She contemplated this for a moment. "A quick shower." She decided and, thankful, James ran into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him.

"Merlin." He said, looking in the mirror. There were dark circles under his eyes, and he yawned again.

He grudgingly took off his clothes and got into the shower, waking up instantly when the water hit him. He wondered briefly where she had in mind for their date, and curiosity took over him, making him shower even quicker. Now that he was fully awake, he quickly shampooed using her shampoo -he smirked- and admired her ability to make him wake up. Even the Marauders couldn't get him up at 7:00 on a Sunday. After he was done, he changed without magic, liking the spell Dumbledore taught them, but liking the normal way better.

After towel drying his hair -again, he used the magical way sometimes when he was in a rush, but he liked the normal way better- he walked out of the bathroom. He searched the room for her, but couldn't find her. Had she left? Did he take too long in the shower, and she had decided not to wait?

He was about to run out of the room looking for her, when she jumped out from nowhere and screamed, "BOO!"

He jumped nearly 5 five feet in the air, and put a hand to his heart.

"Merlin Lils!" He said to his giggling girlfriend. She wiped a tear from her eye, and laughed again.

He saw what was in her hand and blanched.

"Did you go through my bag?" He demanded, outraged. She nodded, still chortling and he snatched the invisibility cloak from her.

"You know, I always wondered how you guys never got caught." She said, referring to the Marauders, and how they always pranked, but hardly ever got caught.

"Why?" He asked.

"Well because, I mean you _do _always pull pranks and-"

"No! Why did you go through my stuff?" He asked.

"Oh." She shrugged. "Because… well I can't tell you." She said awkwardly.

"Why not?" He demanded.

"It will give away our date spot." She said reassuringly. Somehow, he was not reassured in the least.

He grumbled and followed her to the great hall for breakfast. They walked in silence.

He munched down hard on his toast, staring at his plate.

"Now, really James. _What_ is the big deal?" She said finally.

"The big deal is, you could have just asked." He said.

"I've told you, I couldn't have." She said, glaring slightly.

His curiosity getting the best of him, he blurted, "What else did you see in there?"

She shrugged. "Nothing worth any reaction. Which is why I can't understand why you're giving me one." She said.

"Nothing?" He asked skeptical.

"Well… besides practically a thousand boxes from Zonko's and some clothing, I saw a blank, crinkled old piece of parchment." She said, looking at him for a reaction. He sighed, thankful he had remembered to say "Mischief Managed." It was always something he forgot to say.

"Oh. So, never mind then." He said, brightening. She glowered at him.

"'Sorry Lily, for getting angry with you for no reason whatsoever.'" She said angrily, eating her eggs.

He grabbed her free hand, and looked deep into her eyes. Even though he did have a perfectly good reason for getting angry, he decided it wasn't important.

"I am so sorry Lily. I had no reason to get angry with you, I was completely out of line. Can you ever forgive me?" He asked genuinely. She rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Of course." She said watching him. He kissed her hand, and placed it back on the table.

"So," He started, putting his elbows on the table, and putting his chin in his hands. "Where are we going today?"

She smirked. "No way James. You don't get to know."

He gave her puppy-dog eyes. "Pleeeeaase?" He begged. "Just a hint."

She thought for a second. "You won't like it." She said. "That's your hint."

He gaped at her. "If I'm not going to like it why the hell are we going?"

"Let me rephrase it. You won't think you like it, but I know you will." She said instead.

"And you know this how…?" He asked dubiously.

She grinned at him, showing him all her teeth.

"I just know."

_**AN: Hooray! So, I have a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT, and it is crucial you read this.**_

**So, I must admit that I have no idea where this story is going. Like, no idea whatsoever.**

**Which is a big problem, because I can't just keep writing pointless things. But then a thought occured to me.**

**Why can't I?**

**So, I've decided to start a new fanfiction, which will be called "_The Marauders"_.**

**Original, I know. If you have a better idea for a title _PUH-LEASE TELL ME_, because i am rotten at making up titles for things.**

**It will be posted very VERY soon, and it will basically just be little drabbles of Lily, her friends, and the Marauders of course. **

**Problem is, what do we do with this story? This is where _YOU ALL_ come in. Please tell me your opinion on what you think I should do. If people would like, I can continue with this story, but as I said, it's going nowhere. So if nobody comes forward to tell me they'd like me to continue with it, I'm afraid I might delete it. :'( I'm sorry, but if you want me to continue, just tell me in the reviews :)**

_**OR.**_

**If someone has an idea for this story, please PM me with your idea! It would be my honour to write your story, if you have an idea of where you'd like this one to go!**

**So basically, I will be starting a new fanfiction soon, if you'd liek to read that one NO MATTER WHAT.**

**But this story may not stay. So PLEASE tell me. Anything. Please. **

**Anyways, I think that's all I wanted to say, thank you so much for reading this super long AN. I love you all, and tell me what you'd like I do. Thanks so much again!**

**-Taylor :) **


	20. Caught

She told him to close him eyes, as she lead him to their date spot by pulling his hands. He tripped a couple of times, but caught himself as she giggled at how clumsy he was without his eyes.

Soon they were there. She pushed open the enormous doors, and led him to an empty table. She sat him down, and she sat in the chair across from him, still holding his hands across the table.

"Can I open my eyes?" He asked cautiously.

"Not yet." She said quickly. "First, where do you think we are?" She asked.

He frowned. "Is this a trick question?"

"No." She laughed. "I'm serious."

"Lily, how the hell am I supposed to know where we are? I can't see!" He sighed over-dramatically, hating not having the use of his eyes.

She smiled. "Use your other senses."

She watched his eyebrows furrow in concentration, and he attempted to smell the air.

"It smells like…" He thought for a moment. "Dust." He said.

She nodded. She could smell that too.

"What else?" She mused, putting her hands on her chin and watching him.

"Er… wood..." He said hesitantly. She nodded again.

"Good, good. Anything… else?" She asked again.

He frowned. "Strawberry shampoo."

She burst out laughing, then immediately stopped.

"_Sorry!"_ He heard her whisper. It was then that he knew for sure where he was.

"THE LIBRARY!" He yelled, taking his hands off his eyes. _"THE LIBRARY?_" He shouted again.

"_SHHHHHH!" _Madam Theresa hissed. James looked around; there was no one else in the library.

"What is she telling me to shush for, there's no one else here!" He hissed. "And why are we here Lily? Is this a joke?" He demanded.

She shook her head forcefully. "No." She whispered.

"Some date." He muttered under his breath. She glared at him.

"Now that's not fair, I gave your date a chance."

"My date was cool!" He claimed.

"I wasn't sure if it was safe! But remember? _I trusted you._ So at least trust me!" She insisted. He rolled his eyes.

"Fine. But I'm telling you, this will not be fun."

"You are the _pickiest _person." She whispered, shaking her head and getting up from her chair. He looked up at the clock.

"7:45. I could be sleeping right now. Hell, I _should _be sleeping right now." He muttered, watching her walk down an aisle.

"Hey!" He hissed. "Don't leave me!"

But she just gave him a fleeting look, and disappeared from his sight.

He got up, and followed the aisle that she had gone down. But she wasn't there.

_What the-? _He thought, and then caught a glimpse of red hair, going right. He walked into the aisle next to his, following the red hair. He caught another glimpse of it and ran after it this time.

"Lily!" He whispered loudly. "LILY!" He whispered even louder.

He was full out running now, zigzagging through every aisle in search for Lily.

He suddenly looked around and realized he had no idea where he was. He panicked.

"Evans, I swear if I don't make it out of this maze…" He said warningly, cursing this huge place.

"'Evans?'" She said suddenly. He flew five feet in the air in surprise. "Is that what I've downgraded to now?"

"LILY." He hissed. "You scared the hell out of me!"

She raised one eyebrow. "Did I?"

He remembered with a jolt that he had done the exact same thing to her before on his date, and laughed approvingly. He wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Good job Lils, you got me." He said, squeezing her. She squealed.

"James!" She said, hitting him, but he kept hugging her. She sighed, and gave in with a grin, throwing her arms around his neck, and cuddling her head into his chest. He put his hands on both sides of her face, staring at her.

Green eyes met hazel, and he couldn't think of any place in the world he'd rather be right now than in the library with Lily Evans.

He kissed her, putting one hand in her hair.

_Blimey that's soft. _He thought, running his hands through her silky long hair and smiling.

She followed him, putting her hands in his hair.

_Blimey that's tangled. _She thought with a smirk, knotting her hands in his messy black hair. They were kissing and laughing, when James heard someone cough.

James turned, and Lily, not having heard the cough was confused.

"Good morning Mr Potter, Ms Evans." Professor McGonagall interrupted, peering through her spectacles. Professor Dumbledore stood behind her smiling, and though she was trying to look angry, Professor McGonagall smiled a little too.

James and Lily just stared at their Professor and Headmaster, mortified. Professor McGonagall walked by them swiftly, leaving Professor Dumbledore alone with them.

"Ah, young love. So short, so fruitless." He paused, looking at them. "Promise me this," He said, eyes twinkling. They both sat there, waiting. "Make it last." He said. They said nothing, just remained staring at him in astonishment. He chuckled, and passed by them, humming. "Oh Minerva!" He called quietly.

"Aisle 224!" She called back, and he nodded to them both, and walked down the aisle, disappearing into the one on the left.

They both stared after Dumbledore, shell-shocked.

Then they burst into a fit of laughter.

"Bloody hell!" James shout-whispered.

"I know!" She said back, grabbing his hand. "Now c'mere, before someone else finds us in here."

She led him past what felt like hundreds of bookshelves but it only took them about 30 seconds to get to the aisle she wanted to go to.

"This," She paused for dramatic affect. "Is my aisle."

"_Your_ aisle?" He asked doubtfully. She nodded, grinning.

"When you come here a lot, they let you have your own aisle. All the teachers have one too, but no one else can go down them." She explained, and he watched her face light up with pleasure as she described it.

"So, will I be able to go down yours?" He asked.

"No. Not until…" She said, waving her wand a couple times, and doing a silent spell. "Now. Now it's not my aisle. It's _our _aisle, see?" She said, pointing to a small sign that read: Aisle 438, Lily Evans, James Potter.

He grinned. "That's amazing Lils, but I haven't any books."

She laughed. "What do you think a library is for?"

He frowned, confused. "But… you said this is your aisle." He said.

"_Our _aisle." She corrected him.

"Yeah, but didn't you have to put your own books in it?"

"Oh no, all you have to do is write your aisle number and your name in the book with your wand, and a copy of it will appear in here." She said, waving over their aisle.

She gave him a small tour of her aisle, which was sectioned by grade. After a long time, they got to her first year books, which she dubbed as 'an easy read to reminisce.' James picked up the book. It looked like a book that he might read in fourth year, he thought to himself with a smirk.

He was grinning watching how at home she was in this library.

"You love it here." He remarked. She blinked, caught off guard.

"Y-yeah." She said, brightening. "I do."

"Why?" He asked.

"Why?" She repeated. He nodded. "Er…" She said awkwardly.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." He said quickly, assuring her. It was quiet for awhile.

She smiled. "It's home." She said simply, flipping a page in the very first book she read here. "I can't tell you how many times I've read this book. I've got it just about memorized." She said, reading the first page, and being transported back to first year.

"No one used to come here with me." She went on. "I remember Alice, Jane and Marlene hated it here because they could never talk without getting in trouble, and they stopped coming with me. But I never understood why you needed to talk, when you had books." She said, shrugging her shoulders and picking up another book.

James watched her in silence. She was so beautiful, reading those books. Every time she picked up a different book she smiled all over again, as if seeing an old friend.

"Mind if I…?" He said, reaching for the book in her hands.

"Oh, no go ahead." She said smiling.

He flipped to the first page, and began reading.

"Er, James." Lily's voice broke through his imagination. He looked up to see her putting back books on their shelves.

"Yeah?" He said.

She laughed. "Like that book, do you?"

He nodded.

"Well, I've finished all my homework." She said, sitting beside him in the aisle.

"You… left?" He asked, and she nodded.

"For quite awhile actually. Don't worry, you can copy off me." She said.

"You're kidding!" He asked, jaw dropping open. She shrugged her shoulders. "But Lily, you never let me copy your homework!" He said. It was true; she never let him, no matter how hard he begged.

"Well, this time you have an excuse for not doing it." She said.

"_Reading _is an excuse?" He asked dubiously.

She nodded meekly, and picked up his book. It flew back to its shelf.

"Hey! I wasn't finished!" He said, frowning slightly.

She laughed again. "Don't worry, it's still there. And under your name too. And it knows which page you left off on." She explained.

"That's amazing." He said. She turned to look down the aisle.

"Yes, it really is, isn't i-"

He turned her around and kissed her, cutting her off. She laughed.

"We should get going." She said, seriously pulling away.

"Why, what time is it?" He asked, frowning. They hadn't been there long surely.

"It's nearly twelve." She said.

He gaped, and she grinned.

She took his hand, and pulled him back to the table they had sat at earlier. She picked up her things, and they walked back to their room, dropping them off. Then they walked to the Great Hall for lunch.

**AN:  
>Hooray! I was away for a while, but I'm back, and ready to write again! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and I also just wanted to say that my other fanfiction is now up! It's titled 'The Marauders' (grr. still couldn't think of a better name), and I'm super excited about it! Ok I think that's all, hope you liked this chapter, and the next one will be uploaded very soon! Review please and thank you and I'll love you forever and ever 3 :)<strong>

**-Taylor **


	21. The Awkward Dinner

"Guess what's next weekend?" James asked, sitting down beside her at the Gryffindor table.

"Hogsmeade." She said with a huge, notorious grin. He smirked.

"That's right. Surely you can't wait?" He guessed, raising an eyebrow. She mock-thought for a long time, and he elbowed her gently and jokingly. She laughed, and dug in to her food. He did the same, pausing every couple minutes to watch her.

_How in the world did I ever manage to get Lily Evans? _He asked himself, bewildered.

She caught him looking, and he tossed her a wide grin.

"What?" She asked curiously, looking at him.

"Just trying to figure out how I ever managed to get the most beautiful girl in the world as my girlfriend." He said casually, as if he were commenting on the weather.

She beamed at him.

"You know, sometimes I wonder how you ever managed it too." She said, winking.

He grinned, but turned thoughtful. "I'm serious. I mean, you used to hate me."

"And I still don't now?" She joked again, sipping some juice.

"No. Now you love me." He said, inching close to her face. "Remember?" He whispered in her ear. It tickled, and she laughed.

"As a matter of fact, I do." She said, putting her arms around his waist, ready to kiss him.

"Save that for later." A voice interrupted. Lily pouted, and James laughed.

"Hey Sirius." James said casually, as Sirius reached over and grabbed the juice.

"Prongs." Sirius acknowledged, giving him a nod, then leaning on his elbows, trying to get his face close to Lily's from across the table. "Lily. Your friend, Marlene… Does she fancy me?" He murmured seriously, and she laughed.

"No beating around the bush, huh Sirius?" Lily laughed, contemplating. "Hmm… I can't say she does Sirius. She likes a guy who's bold, you know, makes the first move." Lily said.

Sirius scoffed. "_I'm _bold."

"Mm-hmm? So why are you asking _me_ if she fancies you?" She asked, sipping some juice again and raising an eyebrow.

He thought for a moment. "Bloody hell, you're right!" He exclaimed, getting out of his seat and running out of the Great Hall.

"Alone again." Lily murmured to James, and he chuckled in response. She kissed him gently on the jaw affectionately. He sighed impatiently and she pulled back quickly, wondering what was wrong, when she saw the cause of their _second _interruption.

"Hey guys!" Jane chirped in a false-cheery tone a second later, walking in with Remus, an awkward distance from her.

They sat on the other side of the table from them and started piling food onto their plates in silence. James raised an eyebrow at the pair of them, and made to say something, but Remus silenced him with a look.

It was about 5 more minutes of silent eating and forks scraping against plates before Marlene and Sirius showed up together.

"Hey," Marlene said sitting down on Jane's left, Sirius sitting beside her. People mumbled hellos and then came a long silence.

She sighed. "What did I miss?" Evidently, the awkwardness was obvious.

"No idea." Lily said, glancing pointedly at Jane. Jane was frowning at Remus, who was doing everything he could to avoid her eyes.

Jane let out an emotionless laugh.

"I'll be going then." She said, getting up and starting to walk away from them.

Lily and Marlene got up at the exact same time and ran after her, not even bothering to say goodbye to the guys. They caught up to her and they walked to the girls' dorm, that Lily was no longer a part of. Jane not uttering a word until the door was closed, she let out a long breath.

"Remus wants to break up with me." She said, voice shaking. As shy as she was, Jane never cried. "And, I mean, we've only been dating for like, 2 days, but… I dunno guys, this just feels right. That's why it came as such a shock."

Lily nodded. "I understand. James and I haven't been dating more than a week, but if he were to break up with me today…" Her lower lip trembled slightly, and she didn't say any more.

Marlene however, scoffed. "Well what's wrong with the loser?"

They both stared at her, jaws hanging open.

"You heard me. He must be mentally deranged if he broke up with you. Did he say why?"

Jane recovered slightly from her stunned expression.

"No. Well, I mean yes but… it was oddly vague."

They waited, but she didn't say anything more.

"Now look who's being vague." Marlene said impatiently.

"Sorry."

"What exactly did he say Jane?" Lily asked. She couldn't even imagine Remus breaking up with someone. He was one of the nicest people she knew. They had grown fairly close to each other over last year, what with them both being Prefects together.

"He said something about how he didn't deserve me, and how I'd be happier with someone else. But I won't!" She exclaimed, causing both Lily and Marlene to jump slightly, as her soft voice turned harsher. "I will only be happy with Remus! If I can't have him, I don't want anyone else!" She said, getting angry now.

"Er, so what are you going to do about it?" Marlene asked curiously, raising her eyebrows.

Suddenly, Jane bounced up from her bed and walked to the door, a determined spring in her step.

"I'm going to tell him, that's what." She said, and, with two shorts nods to her friends, she was gone. There was a long silence, then-

"Who is that and what have they done with Gentle Jane?" Marlene asked incredulously, using the old nickname her and Lily had made up for Jane.

"No idea. But I kind of like her."

Marlene nodded enthusiastically, and they both broke out into laughter.

"Remus is totally screwed."

**As usual, hope you all liked this chapter! Please _please _review! It really helps me know that people are liking this story, and that I'm not just posting this for no one. ;)  
>Thanks all, have a magical day* (thought i should add in a reference. Don't know why.)<br>-Taylor :) **


	22. His Second Pair of Blue Eyes

Jane walked down the stairs, eyes narrowed. She stormed down to the Great Hall, ignoring the looks she was getting by other students. She was moving so fast, in fact, she collided with Peter.

"Oh, sorry Peter." She said, looking over his shoulder for Remus. "Mind telling me where Remus is?"

He shrugged. "I think he went up to the owlery to send a letter to his mum." He paused. "She's sick you know." He added, widening his eyes.

She felt a sting of sympathy for Remus, and her face softened. James and Sirius came up to them, swinging their hands at their sides and laughing loudly.

"Hey Jane. What's up?" Sirius asked nonchalantly, still grinning from whatever was so funny.

"Going to find Remus." She said, looking in the direction of the owlery.

James grinned. "Going to kiss and make up?" He asked. Either Remus had told them what happened, or they were very perceptive.

"Something like that." She said, and with a fleeting wave, she walked down to the owlery, determined once more.

"Remus?" She called, looking around for him. She caught him by the window, staring out at the sun. He turned around slowly.

"Jane?" He asked, as if not believing his eyes.

"Listen Remus, we need to talk." She said. He frowned slightly, and followed her to a table that was there for people who wanted to write down their letters in the owlery. He sat down in one of the chairs that sat across from her awkwardly. He put his hands on the table, placed them together, and laced his fingers. He looked down at them. She took a deep breath.

"You can't dump me." She said. He didn't look up to meet her eyes, and she continued. "I mean, you want it to be over and I don't. Why do you get to say it's over if I don't want it to be?"

He looked up at her, and she swore she saw the slightest smile tug at his lips before he frowned again.

"I don't want it to be over." He argued quietly. She felt her eyebrows tug together in what could be confusion, anger, or both.

"That's not what you told me earlier."

"You're right. But… Listen Jane. These last few days have been…" He seemed to be searching for the right word. "Amazing. And that doesn't even begin to describe how I feel about you." He paused, looking at her. "But that's why we can't be together."

He seemed to be suggesting at something, and she narrowed her eyes slightly.

"If you're trying to tell me something just spit it out." She said impatiently.

"I can't. I mean, I can but I won't." He said, and she narrowed her eyes even more.

"That's unfair. I mean, you can't just do that to someone Remus. Leave them without telling them why you did in the first place."

"I know, but I can't bear you thinking of me like that." He said distantly, grimacing.

"Remus, you know I don't understand what you're trying to tell me. I don't care what it is. If you're going to leave me, tell me why."

He looked down at his hands.

"I'll tell you, but I'll give you the head start of running away first." He said, nodding to the door.

She scoffed. She was slightly scared now, but she forced herself not to show it. After all, this was _Remus._ He wouldn't hurt a fly, much less her. She straightened her back in her chair, and crossed her arms.

"I'm not going anywhere."

He hesitated for a few seconds before saying, "I'm a… werewolf."

She widened her eyes, taken aback by this.

"Don't be funny Remus, that's-" The look he was giving her made her throat close up. He wasn't lying, he was telling the complete and honest truth.

She reached over and grabbed his hands that were on the table.

"Oh Remus, I'm so s-"

"Don't." He said, pulling his hands away slightly, and glaring at the setting sun. "Soon the reality of what I said will hit you, and you'll be gone in seconds." He said, and placed his hands on his lap instead.

She got up, and ran. Not away from him, she ran to him. She threw her hands around his neck and kissed him. He pulled away, but she pulled him closer. Rejection was not an option right now, as much as he might want it. She was not letting him go until he kissed her back, and that was that.

He was much stronger than her. He could have pulled away had he really wanted to. But he was selfish. He wanted Jane, and it took every sliver of determination in him to pull away from her kiss, much less her in general. So he sat there, while she kissed him. He wanted to kiss her so badly, it almost hurt. But he reminded himself of who he was. They could never be happy together. He was a werewolf.

"Jane, I love you." He said, between her kisses. She kept on kissing him, and he sat there, closing his eyes, cherishing the moment, readying himself for pushing her away.

"I love you." He repeated. She smiled. "So we can't do this." She frowned.

"B-but…"

"I'm a _werewolf_ Jane. You can never be happy with me, don't you see that? I'm dangerous." He spat. She pulled away, and kneeled down so they were both at eye-level with each other.

"I can never be happy with anyone else. It's you or no one." She said indignantly, crossing her arms.

"You are the stubbornest person I've ever met." He said, glaring slightly at her.

She laughed. "'Stubbornest. That's not a word Mr Bigshot-I-know-every-word-in-the-dictionary."

He smiled slightly, but fought to hide it.

"I'm not joking." He said seriously, struggling to keep a poker face. He couldn't help it; when Jane was happy, _he _was happy.

"Neither am I. We're dating whether you like it or not. And you know you like it, and I like it. So there's no problem." She said, shrugging her shoulders.

"But-"

"Listen Remus." She said, placing a palm softly on both sides of his face. He saw a blonde wisp fall into her eyes, and his hand inched to sweep it away, before he stopped himself. It was like she was a magnet, pulling him in. He had to literally force himself not to just kiss her then and there.

"Tell me you don't want to date me. Not because of my feelings,or you being a werewolf, or any of that crap. Do or do you not want me?"

He paused, then nodded ever so slightly.

"But-"

"And guess what Remus? I want you too. So we're going to be together. And we're going to be happy about it."

"But-"

"No Remus. We. Are. Happy." She said, looking deeply into his dark brown eyes. He silenced himself, and looked into her light blue ones. Oddly enough, his best friend when he had been younger had had the_ exact_ same eyes as hers. But after Remus told him they could not be friends anymore, they had never seen each other again. Looking into her eyes, he was reminded of Joey, and with a sad twinge he remembered how every day they would go playing in the forest out by his house, pretending to be explorers. He was a Muggle, but it made no difference to Remus. He had been Remus' best friend.

He pushed the light blond hair out her eyes, and kissed her gently.

He was not going to make that mistake again. He wasn't going to lose his second chance. His second pair of blue eyes.

**Per usual, I sincerely hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I thought I should include some parts of the other Marauders, instead of focusing on just Lily and James, but this fanfiction will be 99% about Jily. Look forward to some Sirius/Marlene parts in the upcoming chapters ;)**

**Please review, for the sake of your favourite couple ;) Haha but siriusly, let me know what you thought about this chapter, and I hope you all keep reading! **

**-Taylor :)**


	23. The Night Before It All Goes Down

**AN: Just to clairify, we have now skipped forward to October 30th! Just because I felt like it. :) Enjoy!**

"Well boys, I assume you know what tomorrow is?"

James, Remus, Sirius and Peter were sitting on the common room couch, homework in hands. But they were far from doing their homework.

"Don't insult us Prongs." Sirius said, mock-offended. He looked around at his best friends, raising one eyebrow.

"It's HA-" Sirius started.

"LO-" Remus interrupted.

"WEEN!" Peter yelled, clapping. Sirius punched his fist into a pillow excitedly, and Remus was biting his bottom lip, nodding in anticipation.

"Well men, you know what that entails." James said seriously, in a drill sergeant voice.

Sirius caught on immediately. He jumped up from the sofa, knocking Remus' legs off his feet and stiffly saluted to James.

Remus grinned, threw down his book, and did the same thing.

Peter squeaked and (taking far longer than Sirius or Remus had) got up, and saluted.

James walked past the three of them, surveying them.

"Padfoot. We need you to get the supplies we talked about earlier." Sirius nodded curtly and marched out of the common room determinately.

"Moony. That spell we talked about…"

"I'm on it." He said, picking up his textbook and his bag, and disappearing from the common room as well.

"Wormtail. Your job is important alright? Make sure that Lily, Jane, and Marlene do not, under any circumstances, go into the Great Hall for the feast tomorrow."

Peter let out a small squeak of excitement, then blanched.

"H-how am I s'posed to do that?"

"Use your imagination, you'll think of something." James said with a grin. Peter sat down and put a hand to his chin, troubled. After a moment, he touched a finger to his head, which James took as his final salute.

Running to the stairs, taking two stairs at a time, he finally bounded into his room.

"Strawberry Shampoo!" He called joyfully, the smell of a new prank already making him ecstatic. It seemed like ages since their last one, and he could not wait for this one. This was going to be huge. The statue pushed to one side, letting him in. He grinned and ran into his room, seeing Lily sitting on the edge of her bed. She looked up from her notes and smiled.

"Hi." She breathed.

He beamed at her, and ran over to her, sitting on her bed. He tucked under the covers, and she gave him a long, hard look.

She tucked under the covers as well, and he grinned even wider.

He hugged her around her waist, and she laughed.

"Why do you always laugh when I hug or kiss you?" He asked curiously. It was a question that had been haunting him for the longest of times. He secretly wondered if she'd been laughing at him all this time.

"Because you make me happy." She answered simply.

For some reason, James was unable to control himself. That simple statement made his heart soar, and his cheeks were starting to hurt from all this grinning he was doing.

"As you make me Lil." He said, squeezing her. She let out another peal of laughter and kissed him on the nose affectionately.

"I love you, you know." She told him, finger absentmindedly twirling a lock of his black hair.

He looked at her for a long moment.

"Don't go to the feast tomorrow." He blurted, unable to stop himself. If Peter messed up his job with Marlene and Jane, fine by him. But not with his Lily-Petal.

Her finger stopped, and she tilted her head slightly to the left in confusion. She recovered, and chuckled.

"James, I'm going to dinner tomorrow. It's the Halloween feast." She reminded him, as if he were crazy for telling her not to.

"Just… please. Don't go."

She looked at him again, and was silent for about fifteen seconds. "I'm going to go."

He moaned. "Lily…"

"James…" She imitated him, grinning. "I love you, and whatever prank you're pulling on the school, you can pull on me too."

He gaped at her.

"H-how…?"

She chortled. "Like it's that hard to figure out. I salute to you and bid you good luck, Mr Potter." She said, and with a small two-fingered salute, she walked out of their room.

**AN: Short chapter I know, but the next four are going to be all about Halloween. I'm thinking one chapter with the whole group, one chapter for James/Lily, one chapter for Sirius/Marlene (oh yes, that couple is getting somewhere;) and Jane/Remus. **

**As for if you all have been wondering where Alice and Frank are in the middle of all this, I just kind of... switched Marlene with Alice a little while back. I don't know why, but yeah. Bad writing skills, I know, but it had to be done for the sake of where this story is going (i think i sort of have an idea now!)**

**Anywhooo, thanks for reading, and I hope you all review! We're at 58 I think right now, and I just wanted to use this time to thank all of those that reviewed, you honestly have no idea how much it makes me smile when i read that i've got a new review. Thanks, and keep reading!**

**-Taylor :)**


	24. Halloween

**AN: Long chapter today, I've been writing like crazy. This was originally cut into two chapters, but I put them together because I'm like 6 chapter ahead. So, look forward to updates everyday (most likely). I'm super excited for these next few chapters, so hopefully you will all be as well!**

"The time has come Prongs." Sirius said, and he put a hand gently on James' shoulder. They had been watching Lily, Jane and Marlene walk into the Great Hall talking normally, as if the four boys weren't missing from their group, and as if they didn't know what waited for them, like all the other students.

"She's so going to kill me." Sirius added, as an after thought, staring longingly after Marlene. It had been almost two months and Marlene and Sirius still weren't dating yet, although Sirius really wanted to.

"And Lily." James added. Sirius and James walked over to where Remus and Peter sat, backpack full of pranks in hand.

"Ready to go?" Remus asked. James, Sirius, and Peter nodded, and got everything ready.

"This is so exciting."

"Who are you and what have you done with Lily Evans?" Marlene asked.

"Well, don't you think so? I mean, it's never been fun before because we were on the other side of the joke, but now… Now it's like we're in on the joke."

"Lily, we're not. We just know they're pulling a prank. We don't know what it is."

"I know, but still!" Lily argued, smiling. "And besides, it's Halloween. And plus, me and James have duty tonight." She added, winking.

Marlene and Jane rolled their eyes. Jane hadn't been speaking much, because unlike Marlene and Lily, she was still a little worried about this prank.

"Woah, slow down tiger lily." Marlene joked, pushing her friend slightly.

Lily laughed. "Tiger lily. I've never heard that one before."

"You know Prongs, your Head Boy position is at stake if they find out this was you." Remus said thoughtfully.

James laughed at the thought of that.

"Right Moony. So, have you done the spell?"

"For the last time, I will do it once _everyone _is seated. How stupid would we look if some people could get up?" Remus said. James grinned.

"Just checking. And Padfoot you…"

"Yes Prongs." He sighed. "I went into the kitchens with Wormtail this morning to check on them. We put the spell on each one, but it's a timer spell, so it'll only work once—"

"Everyone is seated. Yes, yes thank you." James said impatiently, but still grinning. They all were. It was just something about a new prank that made them all smile. It's something nobody but pranksters like them would understand. That's why they were best friends.

"Sh shh he's starting." Peter said, nodding into the Great Hall.

"So that means…"

"_Everyone is seated." _Peter, Remus and Sirius chanted together, grinning.

"So what are we waiting for?" James whooped quietly.

"Pass me the cloak, and watch me do my (pardon the pun) magic." Remus said, twirling the cloak around him and walking into the Great Hall. He passed by every table, shooting his wand at each one, including the teachers' table. He was muttering a spell at each table, and, when he was confident he was finally finished, an idea formed in his head.

He walked over quietly, careful not to make any noise, to his girlfriend.

_Oh, she'll love this. _He thought boldly, putting his lips to her ear.

"I love you." He whispered so only she could hear, and ducked quickly away. Jane jumped up, and ran a nervous hand through her long blonde locks.

"Remus I'm going to kill you!" She hissed to what appeared to be thin air, looking around. Marlene and Lily frowned uncertainly at their friend.

He clapped a hand over his mouth to keep from letting out his laughter and, quickly and quietly; he made his way out to his group.

He pulled off the cloak and shot them the thumbs-up sign. They all grinned in response, and listened to the rest of Dumbledore's speech.

"That is why, it is essential we all stay together amalgamated as one." The first year students all mouthed "huh?" and he chuckled lightly. "United as one." He changed and they all said "Ohhh."

"So, switching from that serious topic,"

"I wasn't aware they were talking about me in there." Sirius said, bracing himself for the punch his friends were about to give him. They followed through, James smacking him upside the head for using that pun on Halloween.

"I bid you a Happy Halloween, and may your night not be wasted."

Peter giggled quietly. "Oh, I think it'll be wasted."

They all had to laugh at that, and, waiting for when the last person in Great Hall had finally sat down, they leaned around the door to watch.

"Moony…" Sirius warned. If he didn't do it now, people might get up.

"I know." Remus answered, mumbling he last part of the spell under his breath. Peter pulled out the backpack, and pointing his wand at the tricks inside, the room went foggy and black thanks to blah blah's instant darkness powder. Some kids cheered, probably thinking this was part of the ghost's re-enactment of their death. They were wrong.

"On my count. One… Two… Three!" James hissed, and Sirius didn't need telling twice. He practically shouted the curse, thrusting his arm into the Great Hall.

_SPLAT!_

"EEK!" They heard a girl scream. More splats came, more people screamed and yelled.

"I'M STUCK! I'M STUCK, I CAN'T GET UP!" A guy yelled over the shrieks.

"ME TOO!"

"WHAT THE-?"

They heard screams and yells and curses. They doubled over in laughter, knowing that the worst was yet to come. When the splatters finally stopped, but the screams carried on, Peter turned on the lights again with his wand.

The giant glowing pumpkins were no longer in the sky, hovering. They had now fallen onto many people, spraying others around them with seeds and juice.

Now the screams and yells were louder still, and the curses became directed at them, for everyone knew only four boys in the school could have pulled this prank.

"BLACK!"

"POTTER!"

"LUPIN!"

"PETTIGREW!"

Unable to breathe from laughing so hard, they didn't even notice who was standing behind them until-

"Good evening, Potter." He spat at him. James, wiping a tear from his eye, glanced up to see none other than Severus Snape.

"Snivellus." He sneered.

"Black." Mulciber Sorin spat.

"Sorin." He spat back.

"Lupin." Avery Logan spat.

"Logan." Lupin spat.

Peter squeaked, and eyes darting around crazily, he ran into the Great Hall.

The three Slytherins rolled their eyes in his direction.

"Gryffindor; Brave, Daring, Nerve, Chivalry. Yup, I can see why he's in Gryffindor." Mulciber laughed, and Avery joined in. The Gryffindor boys narrowed their eyes at the Slytherins.

Three boys on each side, each one in an enmity with the other.

Potter and Snape, both loved Lily, and hexing each other every time they saw one another, for a rivalry that had started since the first day they met.

Black and Sorin, distant cousins, Sorin was convinced Black was a filthy bloodtraitor who didn't deserve the Black name, and told him this every chance he got.

Lupin and Logan, dueled in second year. Lupin won, disarming him. Right after class Logan socked him in the mouth, and made fun of his 'mom that was always sick', saying she should just die already.

"So Potter." Snape spat. "I hope you know we're going to turn you in." He said, with a wicked grin.

"Ah but _Snivellus, _you forget that you aren't in the Great Hall for Halloween either. May I ask what you were doing, lurking the corridors at this time?" James asked thoughtfully.

"No you may not ask. I don't have to tell _you_ anything."

"Au contraire." James said, tapping his Head Boy badge that was fastened crookedly on his robes. "I believe, you do."

Sirius let out a laugh, and Remus crossed his arms over his chest as if to say, '_You're move Slytherin.'_

"Fine, whatever." Snape said, turning away. Avery grabbed him by the back of his robes.

"You're joking right? We're not going to let them off without a little," Avery cracked his knuckles menacingly. "_warning_."

Snape sighed. "Yes, we are. Now come on." He said, jerking his robes from his grasp and walking away. Avery nudged Mulciber and they both spat at the boys' feet. Then they retreated after Snape's disappearing figure, turning with one last fleeting glare over their shoulders.

"Gits." Sirius exclaimed sourly.

Remus and James nodded in agreement, and, looked back to the Great Hall.

It was full of people laughing now, pointing to Slughorn's smattered head, and the pumpkin seeds that Dumbledore was now trying with a smile to get out of his tangled beard.

It was loud enough in fact, for them to slip in quickly without any one seeing them. So they did.

"Hello ladies. Marlene, may I be the first to say that orange is a fine color on you." Sirius said, sitting beside her. She scoffed jokingly, touching one of his curly locks with one finger.

"Well hop in and join the party." She said, going under the table for something. Sirius raised an eyebrow at Lily and Jane, who smiled smugly at him. Before he could even ponder what this meant, he had pumpkin up his nose, in his mouth, and on his hair.

She had thrown a chunk of pumpkin at him. He laughed, and messed up her already messy and chunk filled locks. They continued noogie-ing each other, laughing and grinning.

"Nice prank." Jane told Remus airily, in between kisses. Marlene scoffed.

"Can you guys please do that elsewhere, some people are trying to eat."

Jane sighed and laughed, pulling away slightly from Remus.

"One day Marlene. One day you'll understand."

Marlene rolled her eyes, but blushed slightly when she saw Sirius watching her.

"And besides!" James said, wrapping an arm around Lily's waist and pulling her closer to him. "It's a celebration! It's Halloween!" And with that, he kissed Lily.

With their four other friends trying to eat each other's faces off, Marlene sneaked a look at Sirius, and saw he was still watching her.

"Why won't you go out with me?" He blurted out.

She hesitated then said, "Why do you want to go out with me?"

He laughed, as if that were the stupidest question in the world. "Marley," He said, using the nickname he had dubbed her with in September. "You are amazing. You are funny, nice, smart, and even I'll admit it," He said switching to a serious tone, and putting both hands up. "You're _almost _as good-looking as me."

"You prat." She said, laughing, and bumping him in the side. She knew he was only joking.

They had instantly bonded after that fateful Quidditch match when Sirius broke up with Tanya in September. She and he were both very outgoing people, who said what was on their minds before thinking of what people might think. It got them both in loads of trouble with others, but they both understood it about each other. That's why they liked hanging out together so much. Like that one time Sirius had commented that he liked her better when she wasn't on her period. She hadn't gotten angry; she had just laughed and replied with, "Most people do." Or that time when she had told him he needed to work on not being so big headed all the time. He hadn't minded, he just grinned and joked, "But I can't help it if everyone loves me." He had got a punch in the arm for that one, and what's weird, is that if anyone else had said these things to them, they probably_ would've _have gotten angry with said person.

They had been hanging out for about a month and a half now, and though it didn't seem like that long, she knew him inside and out. He had made his feelings about her clear from the very beginning, but what was weird, was that they were still comfortable together. They both knew they liked each other, she just wasn't ready for a relationship just yet. He respected that, and he said he would wait until she was. It had been almost a month and a half and Sirius had not dated anybody. He probably hadn't been single for this amount of time, for a very long time.

"Can you please tell me how to get the pumpkin out of my hair?" She asked, changing the subject, and looking at him with puppy-dog eyes.

Lily turned her head slightly away from James, so he remained kissing her jaw.

"Yeah Sirius, how do we?" She asked.

Jane turned her head away from Remus too, who started kissing her ear instead.

"A little something called shampoo." He replied in an _uh-duh _voice.

Marlene grinned. "Cool so I'll just- oh." She said, trying to get up, but being pulled back down again by the spell on her bench. Remus chuckled slightly and she glared at him.

"Why did you make it as easy as shampoo? Knowing you four, you would've made the pumpkins stay in our hair for a week." Lily said, kissing James' again.

"We wanted to see if Snivellus would actually wash his hair, or keep it seed-filled and greasy." Sirius said. Lily paused from kissing James at the mention of the nickname they always used for her former best friend.

"But alas, he wasn't in the Great Hall for our magnificent prank." Remus sighed.

This time Lily actually pulled away from James, and looked at him.

"Why not?" She asked James, even though Remus was the one who told her he had not been.

"Dunno. He ran away before he could tell us." James said, as nonchalantly as he could. Lily fixed him with a look that said '_we'll talk about this later' _and turned to her food.

All in all, the feast was amazing as usual. The prank that was pulled actually put most people in a good mood, laughing at their friends and shouting out their approvals to the Marauders from across the room, for they couldn't get up.

"I just hope you know how to let us stand." Marlene told Sirius, who smiled confidently in return.

"Of course I do Marley. It's your pants that are stuck to the seat. All you have to do is take them off, and you'll be able to leave whenever you'd like."

Marlene smiled sweetly at him. "If that's what it takes…"

His jaw dropped open, and it stretched into a wide grin. Did Marlene mean…?

She pointed her wand down at her robes and her pants changed magically, showing Sirius nothing underneath them.

"Thanks for the useful spell Lils." Marlene nodded to Lily, who grinned at Sirius.

"Damn females." He muttered. Marlene got up slowly, testing to see if it worked. It did, and she flashed all the teeth to Sirius, beaming.

"Sorry champ." She said, and turned away. Then she paused, back tracked a few steps and leaned down to Sirius' ear.

"Meet me tonight?" She whispered. He nodded enthusiastically, and she kissed him on the cheek.

"I'll be back!" She called, and, ignoring the students' screams at her asking how she got up, she ran out the doors.

She didn't stop running until she got to her dorm, walked into the bathroom, stripped, and entered the shower. She quickly shampooed her hair, conditioned, washed her body, and figuring she might as well while she was in here, shaved her legs. When she stepped out of the shower she felt like a new woman. Towel-drying her hair until it was damp, she used the hair product her mother had bought her over the summer. It made her hair smooth and silky, and she would use it every day if she weren't so lazy. She pointed her wand at her head and used the drying charm they had learned in second year. She quickly threw on her clothes again, applied some makeup, brushed her hair, and walked out of the bathroom.

She walked over to her bed, and went down on her hands and knees. She stuck her head under her bed, looking. She squinted through the darkness, and moved her hand around the filthy ground, searching and searching until…

"Fine bum you got there, Hamilton." A voice suddenly broke the silence.

She jumped, startled, and hit her head on the wood. Slowly, she moved her head out from underneath her bed.

"Bugger bugger bugger bugger bugger." She muttered, wincing. She could feel tears brimming from the corner of her eyes and fought hard not to let them fall.

Sirius was by her side in a second, kneeling down beside her, looking conflicted.

She was sitting down, knees clutched to her chest, hand gripping her head, eyes squeezed firmly shut. She ground her teeth, trying somehow to stop the pain, but it wouldn't stop. Her head was throbbing madly, pain pulsing through her veins. She squinted at him through the pain, and he looked at a loss for what to do.

"Well don't just sit there you blundering idiot, _hug me!" _She commanded impatiently, but felt a giggle escape from her lips. Looking as if he'd just been saved, he put his arms around her, chuckling slightly. He sank down onto the floor to sit beside her, arms still around her. Head still hammering, she let out a small whimper, and tucked her head into his chest. A few tears escaped her eyes, but she felt comforted, and more than that, loved. He rubbed his hands up and down her arms, like her mother used to do when she was a child and was crying.

"You alright?" He asked, after a while. She nodded into his chest, and got up, smiling. He looked at her for a moment, then brushed away a stray tear from her cheek.

"Oh." She said, smiling again, somewhat embarrassed. She used her thumbs to wipe under her eyes, and sniffed. "Thanks."

He looked aghast. "I'm sorry."

She gave him a look. "Just don't ever sneak up on me again." He nodded, then hugged her again.

"Sorry." He repeated, and she laughed.

"Yeah, I got that part." She said, punching him lightly in the chest. "I don't blame you, don't worry." Then, she remembered something and her eyes narrowed. "I take that back. I do blame you." He raised an eyebrow at her. "'_Fine bum_'?" She reminded him, and he grinned.

"I don't regret that." He said, grey-blue eyes dancing.

"You will." She said darkly, leaning forward. She tackled him, and he flew back onto the floor, laughing, and grabbing her hands so she couldn't hit him. She had one leg on either side of him, trying hard to punch him in the chest. He was still laughing, probably at all her weak attempts. Finally, as his grip on her hands loosened slightly, she punched him hard in the stomach.

He got winded, not expecting this, and he rolled over onto his side. She jumped off him quickly, knowing instantly she'd gone too far.

"Sirius! Sirius, I'm so sorry!" She said, trying to get a good look at him to see how much pain he was in.

She let out a scream as he yelled "GOTCHA!" and picked her up around the waist. He threw her onto the bed and started tickling her.

"No!" She gasped, laughing. "Anything but tickling!" She was breathless from laughing, as he tickled her sides, sitting beside her and leaning over her.

He stopped suddenly, and she looked up at him, smiling. He leaned down slowly, and stopped when his face was hovering just above hers.

He waited there, almost like a question. She smiled, and nodded. Before she knew it, she was kissing Sirius Black.

"Happy Halloween Marlene." He said softly, looking into her dark brown eyes.

She smiled. "That rhymed."

He barked out a soft laugh. "You know, this is usually the part where you sigh softly and say 'Happy Halloween Sirius.'"

She fixed him with a serious but playful look. "I don't usually play by the rules."

There was a silence, then-

"Good."

**AN: I hope you're all happy at how this turned out! Let me just say that I literally re-wrote Sirius and Marlene's kiss like 5 times. So hopefully, you all like it. You guys actually have no idea how excited I am about the next couple of chapters... That's probably why I've been in super writing mode, but who knows. **

**As usual, PLEASE review and tell me what you thought of it. And I'm not just saying that to get more reviews or whatever, I just really like to know what my readers HONESTLY thought of every chapter! Thanks for all of you who've reviewed in the past, it helps me grow as a writer!**

**But I love you for even reading this far if you did. Here, have a butterbeer, on me. Yeah, don't mention it. You can repay me by reviewing ;)**

**-Taylor :)**


	25. Halloween II

**AN: So, before I post a new chapter I like to look at my story stats to see how many people read the last chapter, just so I'm not posting this while like, nobody has read the last chapter.  
>BUT.<br>****For some reason, my story stats are messed and it says 0 people have read the last chapter... which I know is wrong because like 3 people reviewed it. (Thanks by the way hehe.) So... yeah. Reading back on this I don't really know why I decided to write this Author's Note, but I'm not deleting it because I'm an awesome writer like that. TROLOLOL ok hope you enjoy this chapter. **

James and Lily walked down the corridors late that night, holding hands.

"So you what do you reckon they were doing?" Lily voiced the question she'd been wanting to ask the whole time. James had just finished telling her what had happened that night with Severus and his friends, and she was worried now. As much as she wanted to push Severus out of her life, she just couldn't. They had been best friends far too long to just erase him completely form her memory. She often found herself wondering what life would be like now if they were still friends, before pushing him out of her mind again.

"No idea. Could've just been ditching though."

Lily shook her head. "Severus loves the Halloween feast. He wouldn't have skipped it without good reason." James looked at her, feeling a jab of jealousy shoot through his veins. So what if he knew they would never be friends again, he couldn't help feeling envious of how well Lily knew tried not to show the emotion on his face, as he realized he was jealous of _Snivellus. _

"He was up to something. He definitely was." James said, turning the corner.

"You mean, _they all _were." She corrected him, a note of annoyance in her voice. He looked over at her, but couldn't make out her facial expression from the dim lighting. "And how can you be so sure? Maybe they just…" She trailed off, knowing they definitely were up to something. She briefly wondered what Severus would've been doing this Halloween if they'd still been friends. Spending it with her maybe.

"Well anyway, how can we know for sure?"

He looked at her. "Lil, I reckon it's time you know."

"Know?" She repeated, wondering what in the world he was talking about.

"Yes. About the Marauder's Map." He said smugly, and she didn't understand why. He pulled out a blank piece of parchment, and she looked at it curiously. It looked old and crinkled. He pulled out his wand, and tapped it to the parchment muttering, "_I solemnly swear I am up to no good." _Lily raised an eyebrow at his word choice, and he chuckled, motioning her over for a better look of the parchment. She moved over to him, and looked down.

Spider-like ink webs were growing all over the page, and before she knew what was happening, there was a map in front of her. The Great Hall, Gryffindor Tower, Library, Dumbledore's office…

"James… Is this, a _map of Hogwarts?" _She said disbelievingly, but smiling. He nodded, then pointed to the two dots that were labeled _James Potter _and _Lily Evans. _

"But it's really much more than that. Come on, sit." He said already sliding down the wall to rest at the bottom, and patting the spot beside her. She looked around uneasily for anyone, then sat cautiously.

"I don't want to be caught not doing our job." She told him.

He laughed. "Lily, nobody's even on this _floor." _He said, pointing to the floor they were on, and she saw that the two moving dots were completely alone on floor three.

"Alright, alright." She chuckled, getting more comfortable. "But James, this could have saved us so many patrols! One of us could just sit in the common room looking at this thing, instead of us having to actually walk the corridors at," She paused looking at her watch. "10:43"

"But then we wouldn't have this time together." He said cheekily, putting his arm around her shoulders. "Alone." He said, and she plucked the map out of his fingers.

"Yes well, we have plenty of time for _that_ when we're not on duty." She said, trying to sound strict, but coming out sounding rather girly. She coughed awkwardly as she saw he was smirking at her voice.

"Oh belt it Potter." She said, smiling.

He looked at her, and leaned down close to her. She stared into his bright hazel eyes, seeing her favorite flecks of gold in them. She could smell his cologne, and she closed the distance between them without even thinking.

Merlin knows how long they stayed like that, and Merlin knows when they would've _ever _broken apart had they not been an interruption.

"Well, well. Head Boy and Girl, naughty, naughty. Shouldn't you be doing something else, like, oh I don't know… your _job_?" They heard the unmistakable sneer of Lucius Malfoy drawl out.

Their heads both snapped up, and saw a blonde seventh year Slytherin standing over them, wand out. James got up, and stared Lucius up and down.

"What are you doing here?" He asked defiantly, holding out his hand for Lily to take. Lily grabbed it, and he helped her up, not once losing eye contact with Lucius. She placed the map on the floor for now.

"It's not any of _your _business Potter." He snapped, wand shaking slightly, as if eager to hex James. James and Lucius never broke each other's eye contact, and though Lucius was only a seventh year like them, Lily felt worried for James. James looked down at Lucius' wand pointing at his chest and chuckled.

"Let's make this a fair fight shall we?" He said, pulling out his own wand and narrowing his eyes at Lucius, like a predator. Lily didn't want things to get out of hand, and though she knew well the Gryffindor and Slytherin boys battled constantly, she didn't want to be there to witness one; especially one where her favourite boy was involved.

"Lucius, go back to bed." She said, stepping between the two. And boy, was that a bad idea. Lucius broke eye contact with James, and turned to her quickly.

"_Expelliarmus!" _Lucius yelled, wand practically shooting into her chest. She felt the floor leave her feet, and she was being thrown back.

The next thing she felt was an exploding pain from the back of her head. She heard a deafening howl of outrage, and then more noises, and then hands were in hers.

"Lily, Lily are you okay? Lil, say something." She heard her boyfriend say desperately. Her eyes fluttered open, and a whimper escaped from the back of her throat, without her meaning to.

"James?"

"Oh _Lily." _James cried, hugging her. She dropped her head lazily onto his chest, and it hung there. She felt herself being lifted up, then smelled the distinctive smell of rust.

"Blood…" She said quietly, asking him a question. Was she bleeding? She didn't feel it, all she felt was the room swaying as he carried her, and she cuddled into his shoulder instinctively, wanting more than anything just to rest.

"Not yours baby." James reassured her. "But don't talk, everything's fine. Go to sleep."

The last thing on her mind before the world went black was how much she loved it when James called her 'baby'.

**AN: Thanks for reading, and review it please! Check back regularly for updates, I guarantee there'll be tons. Hope you enjoyed, and sorry about that Author's Note there at the beginning... I think I was in a mood. **

**Thanks for putting up with my moods! :) **

**-Taylor**


	26. Halloween III

"Well that was a productive day." Remus said sarcastically. Jane smiled at him, seeing him take out his homework angrily.

"You know we don't have to do that." She told him, flopping down on his bed beside him.

He blew his hair out his eyes, before replying. "It's due tomorrow, Jane."

"Remus," She sighed. "Please don't do your homework." He looked up at her, to see her eyes giving him a puppy-dog look. He chuckled, and threw the books on Sirius' bed. She grinned, and he rolled his eyes, smiling.

"You know you'd rather be with me then doing homework." She taunted, eyes twinkling. He sighed, knowing she was right, and grabbed her around the waist quickly. She turned to give him a small peck, then pulled away, looking at her watch.

"I wanna do something _else _with you." She said. He raised an eyebrow at her choice of words, and her face screwed up in disgust. "Okay, that was _not _supposed to come out like that."

He laughed at her blushing face, and kissed her lovingly. She kissed him back, and they sat like that for a while, absorbed with one another.

"Okay, okay." She said, sitting back, a little breathless. "No more distractions." She gave him a strict look, and he smiled impishly at her.

"No more distractions." He repeated, looking like he was going to kiss her again. She put a hand to his chest and pushed him back, laughing.

"Come on, I want to show you something." She said, putting her small, delicate hand in Remus' much stronger and rougher one. He followed her without question, grinning.

"Where are we going?" He asked curiously. She said nothing, just pulled him out of his room, down the staircase, and out of the common room.

"Come on!" She whispered, looking around a corner, then motioning him that the coast was clear. She and Remus had been one of the last people to leave the Great Hall after the feast, along with James and Lily. Sirius had left earlier, looking for Marlene. All the younger students were probably in bed by now, as they should've been as well. Although most of the fourth years and older were all still in the common room partying, but they wouldn't be in as much trouble if they got caught, because they weren't roaming the halls. Remus cursed silently as he realized James had the map, and so every time they walked down a new corridor, they had to be quiet as a mouse.

"Are you going to tell me where we're going yet?" Remus whispered, being as quiet as he could.

"Okay fine- _Wait, who's that_?" Jane hissed quietly, pointing to a white-blond haired boy who was just turning a corner, unaware to them. Remus raised an eyebrow at Jane, who shrugged suspiciously.

"Should we-"

"Yeah. Come on." Remus said, grabbing her hand, and running quietly after the boy. Remus stopped Jane as he poked his head around the next corner, seeing Lucius Malfoy walking, nose up and smirking to himself. His lips were blooded; Remus nodded his head to him, with a questioning look to Jane. Jane raised her eyebrows at Lucius, then pulled Remus back around the corner.

"What's he doing?" She hissed.

"Whatever it is, it's not good. Did you see that smirk he was wearing?"

"Yes. And what's that he's got in his hand?" She said warily. Remus poked his head out from the corner again, and couldn't help himself from gasping when he saw what the sixth year boy had in his hand.

He felt a hand go around his mouth, then he was jerked back around the corner.

"Remus, be quiet! I think he might've-"

"Who's there?" Lucius called out. Jane winced, then pulled Remus back on the wall. "Don't move. I'll deal with this." She said, turning around the corner.

"Like hell you will!" He hissed, running around the corner. He pulled her behind him, so his body was in front of hers.

"What is it with couples tonight?" Lucius asked himself, rolling his eyes and shoving the map in his robes.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Remus snarled, hand behind him, blocking Jane from standing anywhere but behind his back. Remus had always been one to sense danger when it was coming, and the hair on the back of his neck was rising right now, telling him to get away, and_ fast. _

"Jane." He warned, turning around only for a second to meet her eyes. She stared at him imploringly with her bright blue eyes, but didn't push, seeing the danger in his eyes. He whipped back around to stare at Lucius.

"Malfoy." He spat, walking forward to meet him. "Give me that."

"Give you what?" Lucius sang, skipping around. Remus moved with him, blocking Jane. "Scared I'll hurt your little girl?" He taunted, still skipping trying to get around Remus.

"_Don't."_ Remus snarled like a wolf. Lucius' face fell for a second at how realistic the growl had sounded. He plastered back on his arrogant smile, and laughed.

"Now, now. I don't want to cause anything, so I'll just be going…"

"I don't think so Malfoy. _Give me the map_." Remus said through his teeth.

"A map? Is _that _what this is?" Lucius said, pulling out what looked like an old piece of parchment.

"Don't be ignorant. Give me the bloody map Lucius. Don't make this harder than it needs to be."

"_I'm_ not making anything hard! It's you who's got their girlfriend pushed behind him, like I'll hurt her or something." Lucius rolled his eyes. "_Come on out, beautiful_." He drawled, staring around Remus to look at Jane's widened eyes.

Remus let out a warning growl to Jane.

She was feeling very conflicted, but decided she wasn't going to sit back and just let her boyfriend do everything.

"_Don't_ call me that." She warned, stepping out from behind Remus. He looked at her pleadingly, almost begging her to get back, and she shook her head sadly at him. She knew he was worried for her, but honestly, what's the most Lucius could do besides insult her a few times, maybe tease her? She could take it.

"_Much_ prettier without that big brute covering your… _finer assets_ aren't you?" He said, eyes canvasing up and down her body. Remus' arm wrapped around her pulling her back. She could see the muscles in his arms flexing, as if simply dying to hit Lucius. She pushed his arm away, narrowing her eyes at the Slytherin boy.

"What are you doing here, Lucius?" She asked impatiently, trying her hardest to ignore the way he licked his lips hungrily, eyes still resting on her body. She wanted more than anything in the world to go behind Remus, get away from his gaze. But she couldn't. She had to be strong.

"Never bloody mind with that. Tell me _Jane_," He raised his eyebrows suggestively at her. She had to stop herself from smacking him across the face, and she suddenly wanted to wash every inch of her body clean, because _this vermin _had looked at her. She felt dirty. "What's your blood status sugar?"

"Muggle-born." She answered, not knowing what this had to do with anything.

"Shame I don't mix with filth, we could've had fun, love."

"That's _IT." _ Remus snarled, pushing Jane back, and marching up to Lucius, so they were only feet apart. "Give me my damn map. And say one more thing to my girlfriend, and I _will_ hurt you. Thatis a _promise." _

Lucius rolled his eyes. "So it's _your_ map huh? Let me guess, you're a part of this… this '_Marauder group'_?" Remus made no move to answer, so Lucius chuckled on. "Oh, how sweet. _Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs_! Oh, which one are you? Oh tell me! _Tell_ me!" Lucius said, jumping up and down mock-excitedly. He showed a crooked smirk at Remus, daring him to take a swing at him. But Remus took a deep breath, and reminded himself that Jane was here, and he had to stay composed.

"You know, I'm going to turn you in to Dumbledore." Remus told him, taking quick, short breaths through his nose in an attempt to calm down. It worked, and as Jane sidled up beside him discursively, he put his arm around her waist, her mere presence reminding him to remain collected.

"Oh, but doing that, you'll have to explain why _you_ were out of bed as well!"

"You know, our two best friends are Head Boy and Girl. We can get them to turn you in." Remus said, taking glory in his brilliant plan. He sneaked a look over at Jane, who was now smiling lovingly at him. She was so proud of how calm and levelheaded he was being in this situation, when _she herself_ wanted to punch the living daylights out of Lucius. And she was a very moderate person.

"Oh, but what if I've already seen said Head Boy and Girl?" He sang innocently. Jane noted Lucius said 'oh' a lot. It bothered the hell out of her. Remus' smug smile fell, as he narrowed his eyes dangerously at Lucius.

"Where are they?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe the hospital wing." He started swinging his arms by his side, bored. "That poor girl… Head cracked into the wall like that. I can only imagine…" He said, mock-sympathetically. Jane bristled at the mention of her best friend, and stepped in front of Remus, glaring.

"What did you _do_?" She demanded of him. He pulled out his wand in one fluid moment.

"Want a demonstration babe? This will only hurt, oh, a _lot." _He guaranteed her, and, shooting one quick glare at Remus, he shot his wand at her chest, bellowing, "_Expelliarmus!" _

But the spell didn't work. Remus had stepped in front of her, shouting the counter-curse quickly. Lucius tried again, but Remus blocked it again.

Now an evil glint in his eyes, he switched to a different spell:

"_Crucio!"_ He screamed, not directing the wand at Remus, but rather at Jane again. Remus blocked it again with a yell, as Jane fumbled with her pockets to get her wand, trying desperately to ignore the fact that she had almost just been shot with an _unforgivable curse. _

"_Accio Map!" _Remus shouted, as Jane yelled "_Petrifucus Totalus!" _

Map in hand, Lucius frozen on the ground, they stood there in silence for a moment, both breathing heavily, staring down at the young Slytherin. All traces of malicious and evil gone from him, his face was peaceful, showing how young he really was.

Remus turned to Jane breathlessly, and she beamed at him, face flushed.

"We make a good team." She told him jokingly, though it was hard to laugh at the situation they were in right now.

"I think we always have." He said, kissing her tenderly and feeling serenity dissipate through him, as he finally knew for sure that Jane_ was safe._

**AN: This is the last chapter of the seventh years' Halloweens.  
>So, today I saw that this story is on the favorite's list of 36 people, and the alert list of 47! Thanks so much everyone, and I just wanted to point out: If everyone who favorited or alerted this story reviewed RIGHT NOW, this story would have more than 100 reviews! Please readers, I would appreciate it so much if you would review! I can't know what you really think of this story if you don't tell me! :)<strong>  
><strong>Thanks again everyone, and I hope you liked this chapter. <strong>  
><strong>-Taylor :) <strong>


	27. The Coma

**AN: Suuuuper long chapter today, hope everyone's up for it! ;)**

"Think she'll let us in yet?" Marlene asked gloomily to her pitiful group of friends.

"Dunno. Madam Pomfrey can be a downright bitch at times." Sirius stated, downcast. Their entire group was. Things weren't the same with one of them missing, that was for sure.

James groaned and put his hands in his tangled jet-black hair. "This is all my fault."

"James, for the hundredth time, this is most definitely _not _your fault." Jane assured him, scolding him for his insanity.

"You don't get it, you weren't there. If I had of just stepped in front of her before he shot the spell… Or better yet, not gotten angry with the (_James said a rude word that made Sirius say "Amen."), _this all just wouldn't have happened! And to top all _that off, _when she finally gets up, she's going to wonder what the _hell_ is going on, because _she's in a coma!"_

They had just learned this morning that Lily was in a coma, and Madam Pomfrey did not know when she would wake up.

Madam Pomfrey had explained to the five friends that comas were very common for accidents like these, and were not something to stress about. Madam Pomfrey had mended her skull, and her skin was no longer tore. Now they just had to wait.

"Will she ever wake up?" James had asked frantically.

"Mr Potter my dear, you're over-reacting. She will definitely be awake in less than a week; I've just given her the potion that guarantees it. And she will overall, be alright." She had put a gentle hand on his shoulder consolingly, and ushered he and his friends out of the room quietly.

"James, you need to stop this. It's nobody's fault, and honestly, you head Madam Pomfrey. She'll be _alright." _Remus said.

"Then why are you all bloody so worried about her? Or am I the only one here that's bothered in the _slightest,_ that Lily was attacked by a _Death Eater _last night?"

"You can't know those things for sure." Peter said calmly, and Marlene nodded.

"Yeah James, you could get in trouble shouting out random accusations like that."

"It's not random! Ask Remus! Tell 'em Remus! Tell 'em what you told me!" James half-shouted, slamming his head on the table and wrapping his arms over his head.

They all looked to Remus at this, who looked down at his hands.

"Okay, well I have to agree with James. Last night when Jane and I were walking down the corridors, we saw him as well. We got the map back,"

"Wait, '_back'_? It was gone?" Sirius interrupted.

"Map? Map of what?" Marlene asked.

"-Then paralyzed him, but not before he performed the Cruciatix Curse."

The group gasped in unison, astounded.

"The… The unforgivable curse?" Peter sounded affronted.

"How many Cruciatix Curses do you know exactly?" Remus replied, sarcastic, but grim.

"Who do you think would've taught that to him, hmm?" James asked the group.

"Maybe his parents taught him?" Marlene said disbelievingly, knowing herself that wasn't the case.

"Oh, I can imagine that conversation right now. 'Hey son, want to learn a curse that can put you in Azkaban?' 'Alright Dad!'" Sirius said.

"Okay, okay. So we'll tell all this to Dumbledore in out meeting today, but we need more evidence. I'm sorry, but I'm sure the curse couldn't be that hard to master with the right book. He'd get in trouble for reading books from the restricted section, sure, but he wouldn't be a Death Eater. _We'd_ be in more trouble for making chance allegations." Jane argued. They had gotten a letter this morning at breakfast telling them all (Marlene, Sirius, Jane, Remus and James) to skip classes for today, and meet him at 2 o'clock sharp in his office. Peter was not invited, a fact that had slid by them all, but he.

"Well, we can't get in trouble if we just sort of… hint, can we?" Sirius said uncertainly.

"Well, we'll certainly try." Remus said.

"I'm tired of this." James spoke up, from his long silence, startling them all slightly, and standing up. "I don't give a bloody rat's arse about Malfoy. I want to go visit Lily." James said, almost like a whine.

"James, we all want to. But you heard Madam Pomfrey…"

"'_She's alright'." _James interrupted Marlene, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, got that part. I don't care, I'm going."

"How do you think you'll manage that? Madam Pomfrey manages her patients like a hawk. She'll kick you out in seconds." Jane told him.

"Only if she can _see me _she will_.__" _James said, catching Sirius and Remus' eyes and winking. They understood the message.

"Alright, see you James." Sirius said, as nonchalantly as he could, though James thought he heard a hint of… well, he didn't know what in Sirius' voice. But he sounded almost left out, as Remus looked as well.

James knew they felt left out, as Marlene and Jane probably felt as well, but how many people did they think the cloak could cover? Sure when they were first and second years they could fit all four of them, but they were no longer 4 feet tall, and skinny toothpicks.

"See you." James said, trying to put as much apology as he could in that. Things were so _hard _with these girls here. If it had only been the four of them, he could've told them everything without all these bloody hints!

James turned and tried his hardest not to sprint out the door. That would look suspicious, and the teachers were probably watching him right now anyways, for leaving the Great Hall without his friends.

Doing an awkward run-walk sort of thing, he finally got out of the teachers gazes, and ran flat out towards the Gryffindor Tower.

"Pumpkin Juice!" He called impatiently to the Fat Lady She shot daggers at him with her eyes.

"Come on, come on!" He said, waving his hands by his sides irritably. She swung forward, and he bolted through, passing the common room, bounding up the stairs and reaching their statue, that they chose the password for it together.

He half-grinned when he called out "Strawberry Shampoo." Remembering when they had changed it to this.

The statue opened its wide mouth, and said in a very low voice. "_Password changed. Message from:"_ The voice changed to a very singsong, familiar voice. "Lily Evans." The statue paused for a second, then went on.

"Hey James, it's Lily." His heart beat faster in his chest, hearing her familiar voice, for the first time in what felt like years, but had only been a day. "You're going to kill me for this, I'm sure. But I changed the password!" He could hear her smiling, and though he was extremely pissed off, he had to crack a small smile, hearing her amused. "So, come find me, and I'll give you the password. I love you James. See you soon!"

He groaned, and pounded his fist on the statue.

"Please let me in!" He moaned, hitting the statue for no apparent reason, other than having nothing to do.

"_Please refrain from hitting me, it hurts." _He jumped back, and mumbled an apology. "_Miss Evans has forbid me from telling you." _

He let out an angry yell, shoving both hands into his hair. He squeezed his eyes shut, thinking.

"Halloween." He guessed.

_"Wrong."_

"Er… Patrol Duty." He said. He knew she changed the password sometime last night, because he had used their old password that morning and it had worked.

"_No."_

"Homework?"

The statue fixed him with a dubious look, which James glared at.

"Hey, this isn't easy!"

_"No."_

"That wasn't my guess!"

_"No."_

"Hey! Neither was that!"

_"No."_

"You're so annoying! These haven't been my guesses and you know it you… you _arrogant_ little statue!"

The statue smiled at him, then to James' immense surprise, opened.

"Arrogant? _Arrogant?" _

The statue winked at him.

"Oh. My. Merlin." He said, jaw dropping open. "Thanks!" He called to the statue, who looked very pleased with himself.

"_Don't mention it."_ He called while James flew past him, and into their dorm. He dropped on his knees and searched through his trunk, finally finding it.

"Yes!" He said, practically hugging the cloak. Then shoving it under his robes, he ran out, calling another thanks over his shoulder as he passed the statue.

He walked through the portrait hole, then into the corridors, grinning. Making sure he was out of the eye of the Fat Lady, he swirled the cloak around his body, and crouched slightly, so the cloak could cover his trainers. Being tall had downfalls sometimes.

He ran to the hospital wing, not stopping once. Taking a few moments to calm himself, he opened the hospital door a crack, and peeked through it. Madam Pomfrey was in her office, sorting papers.

"_Thank you." _James whispered up to Merlin, putting his hands together like a prayer. He creaked the door open, trying to make as little noise as possible, and squeezed through. He let out the breath he'd been holding, and looked to the bed he had put her in just last night.

He practically moaned when he saw her angelic face, sleeping soundly. Or, she wasn't really sleeping... She was in a coma. And it was his entire fault.

"Oh Lil, I'm so sorry." He told her, running a hand down her cheek softly. "I wish he could've hit _me _with that spell. I wish you could be here, getting Outstandings on Potions and Charms as usual." He cracked a smile. "I'll write down notes for you, so you won't fall behind, I promise."

It suddenly occurred to him as a bit strange that he was talking to her, when she couldn't talk back. Like talking to an inanimate object, or a dead corpse. He shoved that last option out of his mind, but not before his brain insisted on imagining Lily, lifeless, in a coffin.

His hand followed circles around her cheekbones, then slid down to her jawbone, tracing it. She was truly an angel in disguise, as the light from the window lit up her hair, bringing out the red and gold in it.

"Red and gold." He chuckled to himself. "A true Gryffindor you are, Lils."

"As I've always said." A voice interrupted him, and he jumped, turning around nervously.

"Professor Dumbledore?" He said incredulously.

"In the flesh." He said, smiling. His blue eyes were twinkling, as they usually did around James. He hesitated then said, "Please James, it would be much easier to carry on a conversation if I could see you."

James paled, realizing he still had on the cloak. "You know about it?" He croaked, twirling it from his body.

"That I did. If I may be so blunt, may I take a look?" Dumbledore reached for the cloak, and James handed it to him wordlessly.

"Er, if_ I_ may be so blunt," James said, mimicking him. Dumbledore looked up and smiled. "How much of that did you hear exactly?"

"Nothing more than you would want me to, I assure you." Dumbledore told him, nothing but honesty in his wise, old-looking face. His eyes crinkled as he smiled sadly. "But I cannot say the same for Ms Evans."

James looked back at her, seeing her chest rise up and down in rhythmic time.

"I know I'm crazy for talking to her. I dunno though, I feel like maybe, just maybe… She can hear me. And if there's even that slight chance that she can, I'm taking it." He looked up embarrassedly, but Dumbledore just blinked, a small smile growing slowly on his tethered skin.

"Good." He said finally. "There will always be-I promise you this—that 1 percent of a chance, with everything you do in life. And knowing that you will always go for it, makes me extremely proud to call myself your Headmaster."

James looked down at his feet bashfully.

"Would you have taken it, oh, say a couple months ago?" Dumbledore asked, a hint of light teasing in his voice. James knew what he meant immediately.

"Dunno." He looked back at her lovingly. "She's changed me for sure, that one has. For the better, I think." He looked over to Dumbledore, to see a tiny smile, and watery eyes.

"For the better." Dumbledore repeated, voice almost cracking. James nodded, staring into the old man's eyes, and seeing a much younger man behind them.

"Er, I'm not going to be in trouble for this am I?" James asked curiously, looking over his shoulder to where Madam Pomfrey was sitting when he first came in. Now however, her office was completely empty. That was odd, she never left her patients unattended.

"Surely not Mr Potter." Dumbledore assured him quietly, handing him back the cloak that had been in his hands the whole time.

"Thanks." He said, thrusting the cloak into his book bag. He grunted, opening up his bag as big as it could get, then shoving and pushing until finally, the cloak was in. He zipped it up, getting the zipper stuck on the cloak a few times, though managing it fully closed the end.

"You want to be careful with that James." Dumbledore told him, eyes not meeting James'.

James chuckled. "Yeah, it's definitely useful isn't it?"

Dumbledore looked up, and James was taken aback by the expression that flitted across his face. It looked almost like… like envy. Like a young schoolboy, jealous of James; who'd gotten a better mark on his test, though Dumbledore had studied much harder. But the look was gone as soon as it had come, which Dumbledore switched with a warm smile.

"Keep it safe. Do that for me, please."

James nodded wordlessly, not knowing what to make of this entire thing. Dumbledore's look had almost wanted him to… give Dumbledore the cloak. He just wanted to hand it over, saying 'You deserve it more.'

"I will."

Dumbledore smiled warmly, eyes twinkling as always. "Thank you."

And the weirdest part was, his thank you sounded 100% sincere. Like James telling him this actually_ mattered_ in some way to him.

Dumbledore padded his way down to the exit, telling James to put back on his cloak. He waited patiently as James sighed, then went through the battle of getting it out of his bag. Then James swirled it around his body, and when Dumbledore opened the shut doors, Madam Pomfrey rushed in.

"Dumbledore, you mustn't do that! I really need to keep a careful eye on my patients!" She said hectically, to the Headmaster. She rushed past him, and James watched in silence as Madam Pomfrey dribbled another spoonful of potion down his girlfriend's throat.

"I'll leave you then, Poppy. Thank you again." Dumbledore called and, winking in what was somewhat James' direction, he closed the door behind him, the sound echoing the empty silence.

As Madam Pomfrey walked back into her office, shutting the door, her sat on the edge of Lily's bed, tucking the blankets around her a little more.

James was more confused now then he was before, and he didn't have a clue to make sense of what was happening around him. Remus might know, Sirius might get it, heck even _Peter _had common sense. But what's strange is that he didn't _want _to tell them. He wanted that whole scene to stay in this room, only Dumbledore, he and Lily knowing. And he knew she might not've heard. She probably didn't. But when she got up, he was telling her. She would know what that was all about, and then he would kiss her, telling her she was the smartest girl in the world.

He looked down at her, sighing.

"I wish you were here."

**AN: Hope you guys loved this chapter, because I have a feeling in some future chapters you guys may hate me :$  
>But that's a secret for now! :P Review please!<br>-Taylor :) **


	28. Baby

James stayed like that, next to Lily, all day. He didn't go to classes; he knew Sirius, Remus or Peter would cover for him. He only hoped she would wake when he called her name over and over again. She didn't of course, but that didn't mean he was ever going to give up.

"I miss you Lil." He said, then chuckled. "And if you were here, you would probably call me a Drama Queen, like you always do. I know it's only been a day, but I'm scared for you. People aren't supposed to not ever wake up. That's how people die Lil." He voice cracked at the end, and he wondered whether he should be telling her all this. If, she could in fact, hear him as he dreamed, would she want to know he was worried for her? Would it anger her, knowing that she could hear him, but not be able to tell him that she was fine?

"Lil, I need you here. Please, if you can hear me, _try _to wake up. I know I'm an idiot and you're probably rolling your eyes at my stupidity, but I don't know how these things work! Maybe if you just dream that you're pinching yourself, you'll wake up?" He chuckled nervously, imagining her scoffing at him. "I'm going crazy. It hasn't even been a full 24 hours without you. You see how much you control me?" He said, grabbing her hand. It was limp, and he blinked back tears, mind flashing again to her at a funeral home, him grieving over her dead body.

"Give me a sign that you can hear me. Please baby, give me _something_."

"_Baby…" _She sighed. If the room hadn't been so quiet he wouldn't have heard her say it at all. Her mouth hardly even formed the word, but he understood it.

He gasped, dropping her hand as if it had burned him. He recovered, taking it back and squeezing it.

"Baby, I'm here. Lil, baby I'm here!" He said, anxious to hear her say it again. But she didn't, as many times as he repeated the word.

"_Mmm_." She moaned in her sleep, mouth forming a small smile. He wanted to throw a party in celebration, as he took both her hands in his, and brought them to his lips, kissing each of them.

His watch beeped, ruining the calm silence and serenity. He glared at it, then saw the time.

"Bugger!" He muttered, placing her hands down gently, then grabbing his bag. He pecked her on the forehead through the cloak, as all their contact had been.

He looked over to Madam Pomfrey, who was scribbling down something on a piece of paper.

"I'll see you later Lils, I promise." Then he patted her hand, and rushed out of the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

Peeling the cloak off his body, he shoved it into his bag, grunting again, then running to the Headmaster's office.

"Sugarquills." He said, then ran past. Dumbledore's password was always something from the Sweetshop. James reminded himself to remember this when buying a present for the Headmaster for Christmas.

He knocked on the door, and Sirius yelled, "Come in mate!"

James didn't need telling twice. He pulled open the door, and rushed in, wincing.

"Sorry I'm late professor." He said, doing a weird sort of bow thing to the Headmaster, who chuckled in response.

"Have a seat James." He said, conjuring up a fifth seat. James sat down and looked at his four friends, who smiled in response, though they looked almost confused.

"I believe your friends have some questions to ask James. I think I'll go make some tea." And with that, Dumbledore stood up, and made his way to the door.

"No sugar please, Professorhead!" Sirius called, cupping a hand to his mouth.

"Never Sirius." Dumbledore chuckled, and left the room, shutting the door behind him.

"Where have you been?" Remus asked, sounding awfully stern for a 16 year old teenager.

"Sorry mom." He said sarcastically, and Remus rolled his eyes.

"You know what I mean. You can't just skip Transfiguration like that, mate. Maybe with another teacher, like Slughorn, but McGonagall?" Remus shook his head.

"He's right." Jane said. "We said you had a meeting before we all did for an hour with Dumbledore. She bought it, but she'll probably ask Dumbledore about it later, so watch out."

"Thanks." He said, then an awkward pause filled the room.

"Well, where _were _you?" Sirius demanded.

"I told you I was going to see Lily. And I won't have to watch out for McGonagall, Dumbledore'll cover for me." He said confidently.

Marlene raised her eyebrows quizzically. "If you're sure…"

"I am. Trust me. And guess what?" He said, voice rising in excitement.

"What?" They said expectantly.

"_She spoke!" _

Their jaws dropped. "You're joking!"

"I'm serious." James said, with a warning glance at Sirius, who put up his hands defensively.

"Well? What'd she say?" Marlene demanded.

"Er…" He said, thinking of what she said. He knew of course, but that was not really something he wanted to tell them.

"Well?" Jane deadpanned. He was hit with a pang of irritation at these girls' non-stop questioning, but he reminded himself they _were _her best friends after all. If it were Sirius or Remus in a coma, he would ben asking endless questions too. At that, he decided they deserved to know.

"Well, I was like… talking to her." He started, then seeing Sirius gasp, he added on, "She wasn't talking back." Sirius nodded. "And well, I kind of said…" He felt his cheeks redden, and Marlene smiled.

"James, you can tell us. Don't be embarrassed."

"Okay, okay well I kind of, asked her for a sign that she could hear me. But I called her baby at the end. And well… she repeated the word. It was only a whisper, but I know that's definitely what she said."

"_Aww!"_ Jane and Marlene sang in unison. Sirius and Remus turned to their girlfriends slowly, and the girls laughed.

"Well c'mon. You don't think that's like… _the_ most romantic thing ever?" Marlene said to Sirius. Sirius shook his head as a no, and she punched him lightly in the shoulder.

"Insensitive git." She muttered, chuckling.

Dumbledore knocked on the door lightly, and they called for him to come in. He carried with his wand some hot water, a sugar pot, some cream, and teacups each filled with one tea bag each.

"Here you are. Now, I'm afraid if you are all finished, I need to ask some questions." Dumbledore said seriously. The five students nodded solemnly, switching to grim faces, as they were brought back to the reality of what had happened.

"To start with, I need to clear a few things up. James, as I take it, you were with Ms Evans at the time?"

James shut his eyes wincing, then nodded.

"And Sirius and Marlene you two were…"

"Upstairs in my room." Marlene said. It only just occurred to James as strange why they were here.

"But I saw Malfoy duck out of the Great Hall early like me. He threw in a few good insults," Sirius said, face darkening. "Then joined up with a few other Slytherin students."

"May I ask who these students were?"

"Snape, Avery and Mulciber." Sirius answered clearly, as if he'd been waiting to be asked this question. Dumbledore nodded, then James thought he should add in, "We saw them before we er, pulled our prank too."

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow at this new information, then nodded slowly.

"We'll get back to that. Remus and Jane you were doing what last evening?"

"Er… walking through the hallways." Remus said, looking slightly ashamed.

"Well, it's a good thing you were or you wouldn't have been able to stop Mr Malfoy." Dumbledore smiled. Remus and Jane looked up, grinning.

"Which brings us back to the question: What was Mr Malfoy doing in the hallways at such a late hour?"

"And Snape, Avery and Mulciber." James added, and Dumbledore nodded.

"I hate to think the worst of people, but surely it cannot have been good." Dumbledore said, and Sirius couldn't stop himself.

"They're Death Eaters!" He blurted out. Dumbledore fixed him with a small smile.

"I know you are all thinking that, but I assure you they are not. I took the liberty of looking at Mr Malfoy's left arm while he was paralyzed. He has nothing, nor do the three other boys."

"Well then they're in training!" Sirius argued.

"Mr Black, you have to know that such an accusation must be supported with facts."

"We have facts! Tell him Remus!" Sirius said, looking to Remus. Remus coughed.

"Well Professor, he tried to use an unforgivable curse on Jane." Remus' hand tightened around Jane's at this, and a small growl escaped his lips.

Dumbledore looked affronted. "The cruciatix curse?" He guessed well. Jane and Remus nodded in unison, and Dumbledore's face showed no emotion.

"Well, I think that will be enough for today." He said, getting up, still not meeting the five students' eyes. "Thank you very much for coming to see me, I will alert you if we ever need to do this again." He opened the door to his office, and they walked out confusedly.

Shutting the door behind them once Sirius was out, the five students walked down to the Gryffindor tower in silence.

"Do you think he believes us?" Marlene asked.

"He has to. If he didn't, he would've asked to use the trust potions on us. He didn't." Remus said.

"Devil's snare." They said distractedly to the Fat Lady, who swung open. Sirius and Remus helped their girlfriends climb in, and James felt oddly like a fifth wheel, walking in by himself.

_I can't wait to see Lily again. _He thought to himself, sitting on the common room couch beside his friends. They all seemed to be thinking the same thing as well. They all missed their favorite redhead's lively presence. She brought out the best in nearly all of them.

**__AN: Soo yeah.. Our dear Lily Evans is in a coma. What will happen? Review to find out quicker! The more reviews I get, the more I know people want chapters up soon!  
>I hope you readers liked this chapter, and <em>NOTE:<em> if there are any Brits out there reading this, would you please kindly tell me if my (failed attempt) and british speaking is working? I've been trying for the past few chapters and so far no Brits have stepped forward so I'm taking that as I'm doing good? Haha tell me please, I'd love you forever! :)**

**Thanks again for reading, until next chapter!  
>-Taylor :) <strong>


	29. Wake Up Sunshine

It was early that Saturday morning when Jane and Marlene decided to go visit their best friend. She had been gone for nearly five days now, and nothing had been the same without her. Sure, they still laughed and talked, but when Lily came up in conversation it was like a gloomy cloud had suddenly covered the sun completely. They felt guilty for joking around when their best friend was missing, and they found themselves imagining what Lily would be saying if she were there with them.

"Ready?" Marlene called to Jane. Jane grabbed her bag, and they went off in the direction of the hospital wing.

"Maybe she'll say something this time." Marlene said disbelievingly. So far, James had been the only one to hear her talk, though they all visited her everyday for no more than ten minutes before Madam Pomfrey kicked them out. Even Madam Pomfrey had a heart though, they weren't supposed to be allowed to visit her at all.

"We can hope." Jane said, not a trace of hope in her voice. They were tired of expecting miracles when it was obvious none were coming. Every time they went to visit her, they were all let down. They had learned to keep their expectations low, so as not to be crushed when she stayed silent, breathing quietly.

The doors were open, the curtains pulled back from the windows. Saturday was the only day they could visit Lily without being kicked out. It was the one visitor day of the week, and they planned on spending nearly every minute of it with her. They had even skipped breakfast.

They walked through the doors, to see her on the bed as usual, breathing quietly, eyes closed.

"Hey Lily." They said together, each sitting on a different edge of her bed. It was sort of a routine.

Lily squinted one eye open, then cringed. "Somebody close those curtains will you?"

Jane and Marlene sat there, jaws down to their chests, not even breathing.

Lily sighed. "Well fine then, I'll do it you lazy arses." She made to get up, then swayed. "Woah, head rush."

"LILY!" They cried, finally breaking from their awe. "YOU'RE AWAKE!"

"Yeah!" Lily said mock-excitedly. "Someone alert the Daily Prophet! Hey, where are we?" She asked, looking around for the first time.

"We… we're in the hospital wing Lily." Jane said with a soft voice.

"Er… why?" Lily asked curiously, putting a hand to her head. "Jeez that hurts."

"I'll get Madam Pomfrey." Marlene said, getting up. She looked around, but remembered that Madam Pomfrey used Saturdays as her break, and she would only be back by eleven.

"Er, guys… Why am I here?" She said, still clutching her head.

"Lil, you kind of… had an, accident." Jane said, voice barely above a whisper.

"Wait, what do you mean?" Lily said, looking around. She saw the potion Madam Pomfrey gave her everyday on her bedside table. "Is that for me? Should I take it?"

Marlene snorted. "Not really a point now, is there? You're awake."

Lily chuckled. "You make it sound like I haven't been or something."

Marlene's smile washed off her face. Jane and her exchanged wary glances.

"Lily… it's just that, you haven't." Jane explained.

"Wh-what?"

Marlene hesitated. "You er, cracked your skull. Madam Pomfrey fixed it though!" She assured Lily, when Lily's hands started running fearfully over her scalp.

"When?" Lily asked.

"Halloween. Lil, don't… don't you remember any of this?" Jane asked. Lily shook her head.

"Halloween? What day is it?"

Jane and Marlene were both hesitant to answer.

"It's November 5th." Marlene whispered. Lily's eyes widened, then she smiled.

"Funny. That's really funny girls. Alright James, come on out! Sirius, Remus, Peter!" She called, looking at the door and shaking her head in disbelief. They had really outdone themselves this time.

Jane looked at her, then took her hand in hers.

"Lily, we're not making this up. You've been in a coma for the past five days. We swear this isn't a joke." Jane added. As many times they had lied to each other for laughs, if you said 'I swear', it wasn't a joke.

Lily's face was now stark white, as she gulped worriedly. "Elaborate."

And so Jane and Marlene told her the full story of all that had happened. Lily said she remembered seeing Malfoy, and James and him getting in a fight, but she didn't remember anything after that.

"I did have a funny dream last night." She added on, then shrugged. "Well, I guess it wasn't last night because it's been five days now hasn't it." She chuckled stiffly, and Jane and Marlene could see just how scared she really was.

"Tell us about it." Marlene said, edging closer to Lily on the bed.

"It was a nice dream. James was sitting next to me and he was talking to me. But I didn't say anything back. I _couldn't._ He er…" She paused, cheeks reddening. "He called me baby. And then my voice came back, but only for a second. I said something, and then he got really excited and left."

Marlene and Jane gaped at her. "James, that little bugger!" Jane exclaimed, grinning.

"What…?"

"He told us you talked back! You said baby right back to him! That was the only word you spoke for five days!" Marlene said, hitting Lily annoyingly on the leg a million times. Lily rolled her eyes at her friends, glad the tense air had changed.

"Lily, that's like a scene from a movie!" Jane said, hands fluttering at Lily's arm.

"Oh come on, I wasn't even awake. I was unconscious. Bloody romantic as hell."

"That's what makes it more romantic! You were unconscious and you could still hear him! Oh Lily!"

Besides her confusion, Lily felt herself smiling. So she had been unconscious for a few days, it was no big deal. She was glad her friends were ready to jump back into life like everything was normal.

"We missed you so much. Things aren't the same without you. And_ James_!" Marlene rolled her eyes, then stood up quickly. "We need to tell James you're awake!"

"He's been talking about you non-stop. Worrying. Don't get me wrong, we all have been but… Well, he sort of thinks it was his fault."

"What was his fault?"

"Uh, you're concussion?" Jane replied sarcastically, grabbing her bag. "I'll get him Mars, you stay here."

On Jane's way out, Lily remembered something, grinning.

"Jane!" She called, and Jane's blonde hair whipped around to face Lily. "The password's _arrogant." _Then she laughed at her own joke, knowing her best friends didn't understand. It felt to her as if she'd only changed it yesterday. When really, it'd been like that for days. Wait… how did James get into their room? Oh crap, did he have to sleep in the common room? How did he get dressed? Oh, she'd royally screwed up this time.

Groaning, Lily was suddenly hit with a wave of tiredness. She yawned, eyes blinking slowly.

"Oh no you don't!" Marlene yelled, shaking her shoulder. "James would absolutely _murder_ me if you fell back asleep."

Lily kept herself awake knowing she would see James soon. She felt a pang of annoyance when Jane's remark finally hit her. James thought her concussion was _his _fault? But according to Jane and Marlene's retelling of the events, it hadn't been his fault at all. It'd actually been hers for jumping in between them both during the fight.

She heard feet slapping against the floor, then sat up, throwing the blankets off her. She saw him run through the door, then saw his eyes land on her. His face broke into an enormous grin, as hers did as well. He ran over to her, and she swung her legs over her bed, standing up.

"Woah." She said, legs stiff. She stumbled, and he caught her arm quickly, frowning.

She pulled him into a deep hug, leaning her weight on him. Her heart was beating against her chest, and she guessed he could feel it. She grinned up at him apologetically, but he wasn't looking at her.

"I missed you." She said into his chest, trying to get his attention. He was still looking away though, staring out the open window.

"Jane tells me you don't remember." He pulled back from her hug, his eyes immediately clouding over.

She shook her head, biting her lip. His face was all she could see, and she looked around him to see if Jane was still there. Her eyes landed on someone else.

"Hey Lil." Remus said casually, waving. She looked down further, to see Sirius grinning.

"We missed you." Sirius said, and Remus nodded.

"When did you guys get here?" She asked. She hadn't seen them come in, although her attention had been rather fixed on James.

"Oh, a few seconds after James. We waited here until you two were, er- _finished._" Remus explained, grinning. Lily grinned back, extremely happy to be seeing all her friends so happy. Well that was, except for James, who was now scrutinizing her every move, frowning.

"James?" She said uneasily, eyes going back to his face. "Is something wrong?"

"I just want to make sure you're okay."

She laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck, and pecking him on the lips.

"Does that answer your question?" She asked his still grim expression, trying not to take it too personally.

He looked like he was trying to smile, though it came out as more of a grimace.

"So, what's new guys?" She asked.

"Nothing much, you know. Homework, Quidditch practices, just a practical week." Sirius shrugged.

"Good. Glad I didn't miss much then. Oh and can I borrow someone's notes from this week… You know, I don't want to fall behind."

"James wrote notes for you." Jane said, nodding to James, who now had his eyes narrowed at the floor.

"Oh great! Thanks James." She said, taking his hand that was hanging at his side. He looked at her from the corner of his eye and nodded expressionless. His hand was holding onto hers very gently, she could barely feel it.

"So Lily, want to go to the Great Hall for breakfast? You must be starved!" Marlene said, eyes widening.

"Nah, I think these tubes," Remus pointed to the tubes at Lily's bed. "feed her." He touched one of the tubes examining it.

"Watch out mate, they were probably up Lily's nostrils!" Sirius said, and Remus recoiled from the tube instantly.

They all laughed at that, and started talking about some other things Lily had missed this week. While they all talked excitedly and jokingly, Lily couldn't help noticing James didn't jump in once. She eventually felt her eyes start to get heavy, and let a yawn slip out accidentally.

"You're tired." James remarked for the first time in a while, leading her gently to her bed. She let him, savoring the feel of the warm covers around her.

"I am." She confirmed. "But…" She said, looking up at him with lonely eyes. "You'll stay with me, won't you?"

Expecting to see his eyes light up and a grin, she was taken aback by his frown.

"I suppose if you want me to, I will." He shrugged.

She tried to ignore the feel of impatience and boredom in his voice. If he wanted to leave, she didn't want him to feel like he was forced to stay or anything. She just thought he would want to spend time with her. Talking, catching up, _anything_… But the way his eyebrows were pulled together told her he wasn't thinking the same way.

"If you don't want to you don't have to." She said, a hint of dejection slipping through her false-cheery tone. _Damnit Lily stop it._ _He probably has better things to do on a Saturday then spend it all with you_… Even though she wished he didn't.

"I told you, I'll stay if you _want_." He repeated, somewhat forced. Her eyes narrowed automatically at his impatient tone. Why was he being so short with her?

"Well, I told you, you don't _have_ to if you don't _want_ to." She countered, too tired to hide the annoyance in her tone. So what if she was a little pissed off at him, and she probably could've handled this situation better. It's not like he was doing any different.

"Lily, stop okay, _I'll stay_." He sighed, as if he was the bigger person for giving in first. _The hell was this?_ She was only trying to save his Saturday. She said he didn't have to stay with her!

"You say that like you're doing me a big _favor_ or something."

Silence.

She looked up at him as her words connected in her brain. Shit.

"I- I didn't mean-"

"Whatever, you have to sleep anyways." James said, getting up slowly. She wanted to pull him back down and apologize profusely to him, but then realized, why should she? It's not like he was being a ray of sunshine to her. And she had just gotten out of a coma! You'd think he'd be a little more happy to see her… alive!

"See you." He said, patting the bed before leaving. She watched him leave, having a battle in her head of whether or not she should just apologize.

Watching him close the door behind him softly made her realize he had every right to apologize just as much as she did. He hadn't been nice, or excited that she had finally woken up. What, had he been enjoying this time without her so much, he was sad to see it over so quickly? The thought brought tears of dejection to her eyes, and she forgot that she still had four friends in the room.

"Sorry guys." She said, sniffing quietly, though trying to hide it in a yawn.

"We'll stay with you, if you like." Remus said softly.

"No." Lily said, too quickly. Seeing Remus' warm eyes turn to prohibited ones made her feel like an owner that'd beat their puppy. "S-sorry, I think I'd just rather be alone." She tried to say gentler, though it still sounded angry.

Swallowing their sadness, her friends nodded to her and said that they understood completely, and that she must be exhausted.

She knew they didn't buy it though, and what was weird, it that they both groups of people knew they were both lying, but didn't say anything about it. It was like an entire conversation full of… lies. Lily's head pounded, and she brought a hand up to her forehead, pressing it and wincing.

"See you later guys." She said to them, hoping they'd take this as their cue to leave. Always one for hints, Marlene grabbed Sirius' hand and pulled him away, them both muttering their goodbyes sadly. Jane's big blue eyes were round, staring at her.

God what was wrong with Lily today? It seemed like she had hurt everyone's feelings at least once, and hadn't apologized in the slightest.

"Thanks for coming." She sighed, and Jane swallowed, nodding.

"Yeah, no problem-o. Heh heh." She laughed fakely, voice quivering. She looked to the door, and Remus followed her out, murmuring their goodbyes. Lily saw Remus put an arm comfortingly around Jane's shoulders as they closed the door behind them, and could've sworn she heard a dry sob echo from the hallways.

Before Lily could even begin to contemplate the mess she'd caused, her head hit the pillow, and she was asleep in seconds.

**AN: Per usual, I hope all you readers out there liked this chapter, and I hope you review it if you did!  
>Thanks for all the reviewers who reviewed the last chapter. GUYS! It Takes Time is now at 75 REVIEWS :)<br>Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed and I hope with all my heart you continue to!  
>Oh and IWishIWasAWeasley: Yes I try to update everyday if possible just because I've already written so far ahead (example: right now I'm in the middle of writing chapter 36) and I figure my reviewers deserve it! Kinda like my way of saying '<em>THANK YOU'<em> ;)**

**I siriusly love you all, and until next chapter!**

**-Taylor :)**


	30. Apologies Gone Wrong

Lily yawned and opened her eyes slowly, having a moment of panic when she didn't realize where she was.

"Oh." She said, as everything came clunking back into place. She looked at her watch. It read 8:24 pm.

Hoping it was still Saturday and she hadn't slept through two whole days, she sat up.

"Oh good, you're awake!" Madam Pomfrey cried, running out of her office immediately as if she'd been watching Lily's every move. Lily rubbed her eyes and saw a familiar plump figure walking towards her, one hand fluttering at her heart.

"Hey Madam Pomfrey." She said, as casually as possible. Honestly, she just wished this whole thing could've not happened. Her life was perfectly fine before Malfoy came along and ruined it all.

"Something wrong honey?" Madam Pomfrey said, looking at Lily's drawn eyebrows and narrowed eyes. Lily worked to relax them.

"Nah." She flipped the covers over her body and swung her legs out of bed. "Perfectly fine. So can I just… go?" She said, pointing a finger to the door and crossing her other fingers behind her back.

"Oh no no no!" Madam Pomfrey fretted, and Lily let out a sigh. "Dear, you need to rest."

"I just woke up." Lily said in a monotone voice, not in the mood for faking being happy.

"Well then you need to stay in bed and relax. Sweetheart, with these potions anything is fair game. You could fall back unconscious in seconds and I'd rather you be in bed, in my presence when you do so."

"_If_ I do so." Lily muttered under her breath. "Well Madam Pomfrey, I need my homework and things. Do you think you could let me go off for a couple of minutes just to get them? I'll be there and straight back, I promise."

"Dear I believe you, really I do. But I can't risk you walking into that common room full of people. They will all crowd around you and-without you knowing I'm sure—you will lose track of time. And then going into your dorm full of friends…" Madam Pomfrey shook her head slowly.

"But I don't have a dorm of friends. I'm Head Girl, I've got my own dorm all to myself."

_Not true. _

"Oh, of course I forgot!" Madam Pomfrey said. "Well…"

Lily widened her eyes pleadingly. Madam Pomfrey sighed.

"I suppose if I give you this potion before you go you'll be alright. And you'll be back soon?"

"Absolutely." Lily tried not to cheer out loud.

Gulping down the potion, she hurried to the Gryffindor tower. She had to apologize to James. She had been awfully short with him, and though he hadn't been any better, she guessed he would apologize right after she did.

Then everything would be normal again. Just how she wanted it to be.

"Devil's snare." She said to the Fat Lady, who looked suspiciously drunk, although it was only 8:30.

"Nuh." The Fat Lady grunted, shaking her head.

Lily raised her eyebrows, but remembered she'd been gone for five days.

"Er, but you know me. It's Lily. Can you just let me in please, I'm sort of in a hurry."

"So-rry!" The Fat Lady hiccupped. "No password, no- _hic_ - enter!"

Scratching her neck nervously, Lily decided to sit and wait until someone came. She was there for about two minutes before she saw a flash of orange hair.

"Hey Lily." Samantha Greene said, looking down at questionably. "Forgot the password?"

"Er- yeah." She said, relieved that Samantha didn't know the story of everything that had happened.

"So, what's up big sis?" Samantha said, making conversation. Lily's hands shook a little at her sides impatiently, wanting Samantha to just say the password already. She couldn't be rude though, Samantha wouldn't understand why, as she probably hadn't heard what happened. Good. Lily wanted as few people possible to know about this.

"Nothing really, what about you lil' sis?" Lily had tutored Samantha last year, and everyone called them sisters because they were both ginger-haired. Although other than their hair they looked nothing alike, Lily had enjoyed being close to someone younger than herself; it gave her a different perspective of things at times, which she enjoyed.

Only problem was, she really needed to get into her room.

"Well… Lily I like this guy." Samantha confessed, blush creeping up her neck.

"Me too." Lily joked, but feeling something in her chest pang after she said that. Samantha pushed her lightly, face redder than ever. "What? I don't see the problem."

"Well, I don't know if he likes me back!" Samantha said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Why don't you just tell him then?" Lily said.

"Tell him! He'd laugh in my face, that's why!"

"He can't be very nice then, can he?" Lily said, bending down slightly to look Samantha in the eyes.

"Well- I suppose not. He is kinda mean to my friends… but he's really cute!" She cried out defending him, as if being cute meant you could get away with being a jerk.

"Samantha, listen to me right now. You are twelve years old, and the smartest twelve year-old I've ever met. If he would laugh in your face, he's not worth it. And that's the sad truth." Lily said. Samantha looked away into the corner, not meeting Lily's eyes.

"Marlene told me James used to be mean." She said quietly. Lily hesitated then-

"James was mean. James was very mean, to my friend too. I didn't like him when he was mean, so I told him that." Lily paused, not exactly sure where she was going with this story. "I guess sometimes in order to have a great future, you've got to forget the past. People change." She wasn't sure which black haired boy she was talking about now; her boyfriend or her best friend. _EX-best friend. _She corrected herself mentally. "You never know Sam. Sometimes you can be wrong about people."

"So you're telling me I _shouldn't_ stop liking him."

Lily paused. _Had_ she said that? That wasn't the message she was trying to get across. "I'm more confused than ever now." Sam sighed, and Lily smiled.

"Love is never an easy thing Sam."

Sam recoiled, face contorting in disgust. "Ew, _love?_ I never said I loved him! He's just_ cute_ is all!"

Lily felt herself grinning, and she knuckled Sam's head. "Good. You're only twelve."

"Second time Lily." Sam warned, and Lily chuckled. Sam hated it when people commented on how young or small she was. Sam called out the password to the Fat Lady who swung open after a slurred "Yup."

Waving goodbye to Samantha, Lily hurdled the stairs, stopping only to compose herself in front of the statue.

"How do I look?" She asked, finger combing her hair nervously. She didn't know why she was doing this, when James had seen her at 6 o'clock in the morning with no makeup on and bedhead, but it made her feel better.

"_Wonderful."_

"Arrogant."

"_You got it."_

The statue moved to the side, and she walked in slowly, seeing James sitting on his bed, Transfiguration textbook open in his hands.

"Hey." She said quietly, walking over to her bed and grabbing her book bag.

"Lily, what are you doing here?"

"It's my _room_." She winced at how rude that sounded, thinking to herself it would've been better if she had said _our room._

"You mean Madam Pomfrey's letting you out already?"

"'Letting me out?' What am I, some monkey in a zoo?" She narrowed her eyes at him.

He sighed edgily. "You know I don't know what a '_zoo' _is."

"Look James," She said, changing the conversation. She didn't like where the past one had been going. "I wanted to apologize for earlier today. I was just tired, and you guys all caught me at a bad time."

"It's alright, I understand."

She waited. He looked around uneasily.

"Er…"

"Yeah?" He asked, shutting his textbook and putting it beside him gently.

"Well, I mean… aren't _you _going to apologize?"

He snorted, and her eyebrows drew together. "For what?"

"Er, you were awfully short with me this morning."

"I offered to stay all day with you."

"No, you agreed reluctantly after I asked you to."

"Same thing."

"It's not."

"It kinda is."

"It kinda _isn't_." Lily argued.

"Well either way it doesn't matter now." James said, trying to stop their fight from getting too out of hand.

"You're only saying that because you know I'm right." Lily said smugly.

"I'm saying it because I'm the bigger person and I don't want to get in another row with you."

"Oh sorry '_bigger person'_." She snorted, using air quotations on the words. "This from the guy who won't apologize."

"I don't apologize if I've done nothing _wrong_." He snapped angrily at her. His tone of voice made her step back from him, and she looked down at the floor. She felt tears brimming at the corners of her eyes and worked hard to fight them.

"James, you're hurting my feelings."

He looked up at her then, seeing her standing with her book bag in hand. She was wearing the same outfit she had on Halloween. He had meant to tell her she looked beautiful wearing that outfit, but he had forgotten. He tried to find the courage to tell her right now, but couldn't. What was happening to them? They had only had a small row, after all. All he needed to do was wrap his arms around her and say he was sorry.

But things like that aren't easy for him.

Seeing he wasn't going to say anything else, she grabbed her pajamas and walked out of their dorm, not saying goodbye.

Lily cried that night.

James tossed and turned for hours.

**AN: Terrible ending? Tell me something I don't know. :/  
>I was considering adding the next chapter to this one, but then it would've been really long. Anywho, I'm glad people seem to be liking the update a day thing. I'm liking your reviews! ;) I hope you all review this one, even under Anonymous I'd appreciate it nonetheless!<br>Thanks again for reading, tell me what you think about it? I'm really hoping to get to 100 reviews in the next few chapters, so PLEASE help me reach my goal! For the sake of Lily and James? Please?  
>LOL thanks for reading and reviewing, until next chapter!<strong>

**-Taylor :) **


	31. To Be Normal

_**AN: HOLY CRAP HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAMES POTTER WE ALL LOVE YOU! Ok let the story begin.**_

Ugh,_ sunlight. _

James rolled over onto his front, wondering how he had forgotten to close his curtains last night.

Not surprising really when you think about it. He _had_ had a lot on his mind.

He buried his face in his pillow and groaned loudly. He squinted at his alarm clock. It read 7:14.

_Bloody brilliant. _

Sunday mornings were the worst in the Gryffindor tower. Nearly everyone stayed in the common room until at least twelve the night before, and then stayed up talking in their dorms until even later. He suspected he was the only Gryffindor awake, and he tried desperately not to be.

But the thing he most wanted was not sleep. He wasn't tired. He just wanted to be free of life's problems for a little while longer. It's like, when you're asleep you're in paradise… Nothing can touch you. But once you wake up, you have to face the reality that your precious perfect hours aren't real, and you have to buck up and be a man.

At least, that's what he should be doing. But it wasn't.

His dorm was so empty without her. He suspected that his friends had stayed up talking later than he, but had actually gone to sleep earlier than him.

He had spent nearly two hours tossing and turning last night. He had been for the past five nights. He risked a glance at her bed, knowing before he did what would happen.

_Clunk. _

That clunk? Yeah, that was his heart dropping into his stomach. He got that feeling every time he thought about her. Anytime someone mentioned her name, anytime he thought about her…

For five days he had thought she would never awaken.

He knew that was wrong- Madam Pomfrey had assured him she would be all right. But he couldn't help but worry that she wouldn't be. He had been worrying the past five days, grieving like she was dead.

And she didn't give a shit about any of it.

Why did she do this to him? Didn't she have any compassion at _all_? She couldn't just wake up from a coma, hear the cause of her almost-death, and demand that her life be the same. Things just can't be like that.

He snorted gloomily into his pillow as he realized everyone was fine with her plan too. He had barely said a word to any of them after last morning.

"_Oh Lily, we've missed you _so_ much!"_ He imitated in a girlish voice aloud, not entirely sure who he was mimicking. He was angry with all of them, so he assumed it didn't really make a difference.

Like hell they missed her so much. He saw them, laughing and talking like Lily wasn't missing.

"Lily would find that funny." He would bark out at them, watching the smiles wipe off their faces instantly. They would grimace apologetically, then would stay silent for a long time. Good.

He was aware he was being a downright git. He didn't care.

He crushed his face into his pillow multiple times. "Bugger!" He said, hitting the pillow to his face. "Bollocks!" He cried, hitting it even harder. "Bloody bullocks and bugger and… and…!" He couldn't think of anything else to say as he madly had a temper tantrum, flailing and kicking in his bed like a five-year old.

"I'm mental." He said calmly, breathing deeply. "I am mental, and I am talking to myself. Why you ask? Oh didn't you know, I'm mental."

The thing that was driving him mad was that Lily didn't even blame him for what had happened. Didn't she know he'd been a wreck without her?

_Well Jamesy boy, I would think not. She's been in a coma._

_Merlin I'm an idiot. _

_Don't beat yourself up about it._

_Don't tell me what to do!_

He slammed his fists into his headboard, commanding the voices to shut the hell up already. He felt like there were two voices in his head, but he couldn't pick out which one was his conscience. He tried listening to them both for a few seconds.

_Just go and visit her. _That must be his conscience.

_Why so I can apologize? I don't understand what I'm apologizing for. _That must be the rational one.

So, choose conscience or rational? His whole life he'd been going with rational, telling himself it was the smarter one, and the other voice was a sap who needed to grow a pair.

Well, it hadn't served him wrong before.

Crossing his arms over his chest and staring up at the ceiling, he sat there stubbornly.

_I'm sick and tired of worrying about her._

_But you can't stop, can you?_

Why should he apologize? For caring about her? Merlin, if that was what the world was coming to, he wasn't sure he wanted to live on this planet anymore. In fact...

_I'm moving to Saturn. _He decided, smiling smugly to himself, then feeling that familiar drop in his stomach.

_You want to bring her with you._

_"SHUT UP CONCSIENCE NOBODY LIKES YOU!" _James yelled, balling his fists into his sheets and sitting up. His heart was thumping madly, eyes narrowed at the wall, sweat beads dripping down his forehead. He swung his legs out of the bed, and touched a foot to the cold ground, recoiling instantly. He saw a pair of light purple slippers under her bed, and contemplated.

_That floor's cold. Put them on._

_I can't. _He argued uneasily in his head, staring at them.

_You would've in a heartbeat before all this happened._

Ah, the million galleon winner.

_Before all this happened. _

Sounded just about right to him. He would've been shaking Lily awake right now, demanding she accompany him to the kitchens for an early breakfast. His stomach would grumble loudly and she would chuckle, slipping on those purple slippers, tossing him her other pair of orange ones. He would cringe while wearing the Chudley Canons colors, and she would laugh and his prejudice, sticking her hands on her hips.

"Well do you want your feet to freeze or not?" She would ask him.

"You're right Lils. As usual. C'mere." He would sweep her into a kiss, and they would spend this awfully normal Sunday doing awfully normal things, loving their awfully normal life.

Things were different now.

_And whose fault is that?_

"Conscience…" James warned, tiptoeing lightly to the bathroom, feet numb from the cold.

_Go put on those slippers. Be normal. It's easy._

"Says the voice in my head." James rolled his eyes. Normal… The way things used to be. He wanted desperately to have enough strength to go put on those slippers.

Why couldn't he bring himself do that now? A week ago, they were amazingly close. They could trust each other with anything; do anything, without worrying about the other judging them. Now he felt like if he did anything, she'd find him stupid and immature.

He didn't like feeling like this. He felt like he was in fifth year again, having Lily judge his every move. Trying desperately to prove her wrong, and show her that he was a nice guy, trying to impress her. He hadn't had to do that in a long time. She just knew he was a nice guy; he didn't have to impress her in any way. They weren't acquaintances anymore. They were closer than ever.

And now. Now they were drifting.

He walked back to his bed and curled his toes, shivering. He wished somebody were here. Anybody. He needed someone to talk to desperately. He saw his notebook sticking out of his book bag, and he pulled it out, taking a quill too.

_Nobody's here to talk. Write your feelings._

"Write my feelings." James snorted. "I'm not a thirteen year-old girl, I don't need a Diary."

But James found himself looking down at the notebook. It was already flipped to a page, he had forgotten to shut it the last time he'd used it.

"Nothing to lose I suppose." James shrugged, and wet the tip of his quill, imagining Lily in the room right now, and what he would say if he were brave enough.

_Before I met you, I never knew what it was like to look at someone and smile for no reason. _

He sat back, looking at his work. Well, that was awfully poetic without meaning to be. He began writing again.

_You know what I heard? People say the first thing on your mind when you wake up will carry on with you throughout the whole day. Each day when I woke up with you on my mind and looked over to your bed, you weren't there anymore. I want to wake up where you are, and metaphorically, you are. In the back of my mind, I mean, and you always will be. But it's the days like these where I miss you the most._

_So when you woke up and everyone was treating you like you'd never been gone, I broke. I wanted you to be angry at me- I thought you would. But when you smiled and hugged me, I realized that maybe you didn't hate me… And I couldn't understand why not. You were normal about the whole thing, as if nothing had even happened. I think that's what pained me the most, because I'd been aching to see the day when you'd wake, and when you finally did… it was nothing._

He dropped the quill, hand aching. He had written all that in mere minutes and he was surprised at how easily it had come out. He felt as if a couple pounds of weight had dropped off his shoulders. Imagine if he actually _said_ all that to Lily…the weight on his shoulders would fall entirely.

He sighed, staring up at the ceiling. How he wished he had enough courage to tell Lily all that now. He still didn't understand why things had changed between them so much in such a little amount of time. Sure, they hardly ever had rows, but why was this one hitting them so hard?

He glanced out at the clouds, seeing the early morning rays poking through them. It looked like heaven poking through the clouds, and he wanted desperately to be able to fly that high on his broomstick. The sun eventually moved past the clouds and blinded him, but he kept on looking at that it.

James sighed and shut his eyes; wild patters dancing on the backs of his eyelids. He looked down at the notebook to see writing in gold, instead of the black from his quill. He widened his eyes, and read.

**AN: OOOOOOOOOOOOO  
><strong>**Well, I'm extremely happy with this chapter. Hope you all are too! Review please, right now this story is at 89 reviews. 89 REVIEWS! Guys, we only need 11 more to get my goal: 100! Please PLEASE for the sake of this story, for the sake of me, for the sake of JAMES AND LILY please review! If you go and review right now, just imagine me right now giving you a huge thank you and a GINORMOUS HUG. please, if you're reading this: review! **

**Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! Until next chapter,**

**-Taylor :)**

_**On a quick side note:**_

_**Okay everyone, this was posted yesterday, so I don't understand why now all the sudden it's no longer there. But I reposted it (as you can see) and so the whole James Potter birthday thing was yesterday and not really today but I posted it yesterday so that's why... yeah confusing sorry. Technology yeesh! ;)  
>Anyways sorry for boring side note, just thought you should all know, and hopefully this time it works! Goodbye! <strong>_


	32. The Notebook Saves The Day

**AN: Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I was going to hold on to this chapter until we got to 100 reviews (we're at 97 now EEP!) but I love my reviewers too much, and it seemed like everyone was dying to read what happens next so here it is! Hope it lives up to your standards! ;)**

Reading what he wrote… it changed everything. She looked up to try and stop the tears that were sitting in her eyes.

Last night she'd stayed awake for hours thinking about him. Not truly understanding why he was angry in the first place, she thought he didn't love her anymore.

She bit her lip and let out a quiet sob, blinking. The tears fell down when she blinked, and she rubbed her hand against her eye impatiently, staring down at her notebook. She had barely gotten more than a few hours of sleep last night, and when she woke up, she wanted nothing more than to just do her homework, like any other regular morning.

That was his problem.

So she wanted to go back to the way things were, so what? She had never been one to enjoy the center of attention—in fact, she actually despised being it—and he should respect that. But knowing how much he cared about her…

She could only write back one thing.

_I love you. _She wrote, hand trembling slightly.

Had he known she was staring at this notebook, wanting to contact him in some way? When the gold letters on her notebook had first appeared she had gasped so loud it was a good thing Madam Pomfrey was probably still in bed.

She frowned looking at what she wrote. She had so much to say… but that just seemed to say it in three words. She decided to add another three words.

_And I'm sorry._

She leaned back on her pillow, shutting her eyes. She was incredibly sorry, and although she still wanted her life to be normal, it was awfully unrealistic to think that after something so huge everything would go back to the way it was before.

* * *

><p>James couldn't believe it. She had replied within seconds. He squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again, thinking he was going mad. He wasn't.<p>

She loved him. And she was sorry.

_Don't be, I should be apologizing right now. I'm not sorry for what I think, but I'm sorry for getting so angry with you, when you had no idea why I was so angry. _

He grimaced. That wasn't how he wanted to say it at all. He usually had this problem; knowing what he wanted to say, but not having the words to express himself properly.

_And I love you too Lil._

She looked down at what he wrote and blinked slowly.

* * *

><p><em>Can I come and visit you? <em>He wrote.

A watery smile formed on her face, and she hesitated before writing again.

_I'd love that._

She closed the notebook quietly, looking at her trembling hands. Things were more confusing than ever, but she was ecstatic. He still loved her.

Things were still going to be awkward when he got there, but Lily didn't care. If James still loved her, they were going to be okay.

**AN: Tiny chapter, I know. I'm sorry that this was so short, but hey, at least they're back together again! ;)  
>I love all my reviewers and readers, and again, I hope you liked this chapter. If you did, tell me about it! I sincerely love reading each and every review, and usually read them multiple times (is that weird lol). So please review, and the next chapter will probably be up tomorrow! See you then!<strong>

**-Taylor :)**


	33. Her Other Half

**Long AN at end of chapter, so I won't bore you with one now. Even though I kind of am right now... Ok bye.**

"So, how're things with Lily?" Sirius asked, jumping onto his bed, making the springs creak.

"Good now actually." James said, surprisingly.

"Glad to hear it. That was weird mate. You guys shouldn't fight."

"Yeah, I know. It was all my fault, I shouldn't have been so angry with her. It's her life after all."

It had been nearly a week since their fight, and they were almost back to the way things were before.

"It was certainly uncomfortable to watch." Sirius said, remembering awkwardly standing there with Marlene on his arm, watching his two friends fight.

"I'm just glad she still wants me. I was a downright git." James said, recalling when she said he had hurt her feelings. He had felt like an arse after that, seeing the tears in her eyes.

"That you were." Sirius agreed. Suddenly, Peter walked into the room, book bag hanging from his shoulder.

"Things okay with Lily?" He asked, dropping the bag on his bed, then turning to James. James nodded and smiled. "Good." Peter replied cheerfully, sitting down on the end of Sirius' bed.

"Anybody game for a round of Exploding Snaps?" James asked suddenly, grinning.

Sirius and Peter nodded enthusiastically, and James suddenly realized what Lily meant when she said she wanted her life to be the same as it was before. He was extremely glad nothing had changed between he and his friends. He needed to work on putting himself in other people's shoes before letting his temper get the better of him.

"Only if you're game for losing!" Sirius taunted, with a joking glint in his eyes.

James pulled out his Exploding Snaps cards, and laid them out on his bed. Sirius and Peter hopped onto his bed, rubbing their hands together.

"Let the games begin." James said.

* * *

><p>"So, everything back to normal with you and James?" Marlene asked, resting her feet on Lily's lap.<p>

Lily felt her heart fall slightly at the word 'normal', feeling guilty.

"Yeah, I think so. I just can't believe he still wants me. I mean, I was so demanding." She said, remembering how she wanted her life back to the way it was before everything had happened. It felt like it had happened months ago, when in reality it had been roughly a week ago.

"Well, he was no ray of_ lumos_ either." Marlene remarked, and Lily chuckled.

"He had every right to be angry." She argued, knowing that she was the only one to blame for their fight. She was just grateful he had still wanted to be with her.

"But what about you and Sirius?" Lily wagged her eyebrows, and Marlene laughed.

"Okay, please never do that again. You're too innocent to pull off suggestive grins and eyebrows. Sorry." Marlene said, not sounding sorry in the slightest.

"Oh be quiet!" Lily said smiling and hitting her on the foot. "And don't change the subject."

"Well, we're dating…"

"No! You don't say!" Lily said sarcastically.

"Well what do you want me to say?" Marlene asked, laughing.

"How did your first date go?" Marlene and Sirius had gone on their first date a couple days ago.

"I wouldn't really call it a _date_. Or first. We've hung out loads of times… It didn't really feel like it should. Most girls are all nervous on their first date… I wasn't nervous at all. It just felt like I was hanging out with Sirius." She shrugged.

"Only this time you snogged him the whole evening." Lily said, and Marlene blanched.

"How did you kn-" She paused, when Lily burst out in laughter.

"I didn't until now!"

Marlene felt blush creep up into her cheeks. "Not the whole evening okay, it was just a good night kiss."

"Mm-hmm." Lily said. They both sat there for awhile, staring into the fire.

"Sirius feels like my other half." Marlene said randomly.

Lily fixed her with one eyebrow, and Marlene shrugged.

"Well, I thought I should just get it out there. I've been thinking it forever. You deserve to know, you're my best friend."

"And you're not worried he'll… you know. Cheat?" Lily voiced the question everyone had been wondering, based on Sirius' past.

Marlene shook her head, smiling. "No. I trust him with all my heart."

Lily smiled. "I'm glad then. Other than his past, it sounds like you two were made for each other."

Marlene sighed dreamily. "It certainly feels that way."

**AN: Okay! Another short chapter, but it was a happy, drama-free chapter at least. I don't know what's with me and drama, but lately it's been a main topic of my writing. So spoiler, there will be drama in the next few chapters. Between who and who? Well, you'll just have to continue reading to find out ;)**

**And special thanks to _HollyPotter_ who was the 100th REVIEWER! Oh my goodness guys, I cannot thank each and every one of you enough for this. Like, I know meanwhile there are stories out there with 3000+ reviews, but I'm just happy how far this one's gotten. Thanks to all of you, and I hope you _always _continue to read and review! (get it, '_always_'? Harry potter jokes are life.)  
><strong>**Oh and yes to the Anon, I know I spelt Cruciatus wrong... sigh. I don't even know how that happened, so yeah sorry about that. :/**

**-BUT ANYWAYS LOVE YOU ALL AND CONTINUE READING AND REVIEWING! THANKS! TAYLOR :)**


	34. The It Couple, Interrupted

***Fast forward to early December***

As the cold December snow fell down on the five seventh years, the air was tense.

"Does _anybody_ know where they are?" Lily asked anxiously.

Nobody answered, as they all stared down at the frozen Black Lake. Every now and then, a giant tentacle would shoot up from the ice, piercing a hole, then drop back down.

Jane shuddered against Remus' chest, and he smiled, kissing her hair.

"Cold?" He asked chuckling.

She fixed him with an amused expression. "Me? Never. You?"

He shook his head defiantly, and she laughed melodically.

"I still can't believe this happened." Jane said, expression going somber.

"It was bound to at one point." Peter sighed, picking some bark of a dead branch.

"They were so… perfect together." Lily said, balling up a snowball.

As if scripted, all five friends sighed together.

Marlene and Sirius had broken up just two days ago. November 30th to be exact.

"What bothers me is that they won't tell us why." Remus said.

It was true; neither Marlene nor Sirius had told them anything about why it had happened, just that it _had _happened.

"Well, my bum is now soaked, so I think I'm going to go to the kitchens for some hot chocolate." James said, getting up and holding out his hand for his girlfriend to take. "Anybody else coming?"

Remus looked at Jane, and she shrugged. "Nah, I think we'll stay here." Remus answered. James nodded as he and Lily walked up the pathway to the school.

Peter got up saying goodbye, and Remus was thankful that Peter was leaving Jane and he alone.

"See you, Pete." He called, and then turned to Jane. "It's still such a shock. I always saw them as like, the exact same person. They're both so alike."

"Maybe that's the problem. Opposites attract, you know." Jane said.

"I've heard that, but I don't really think it's true. Not all the time at least."

"Well, take James and Lily for example." Jane started.

Remus laughed. "That's cheating! They're like, a prime example of opposites attracting. Let's take you and I for example instead." He dropped down onto his back, and she fell back beside him, turning her head to look at him.

She looked at his light brown hair, his bangs falling into his eyes constantly. She told him to cut his hair if it was always in his eyes, but he argued, telling her he liked his hair; it had character. She looked at his eyebrows and his long, thick eyelashes. Her favorite dark brown eyes were staring at the sky seriously, with the look he got when he was having trouble in Potions class. She followed down to his nose, seeing the smooth slope it had, with a small bump on the middle of it. His perfect bow-shaped lips… bright pink from the cold.

He turned to face her then, and smiled when he saw she was looking at her.

"Take you and I for example." He repeated, staring into her eyes. "You're beautiful."

"You're handsome." She said, smiling at him.

"You're smart."

"You're _brilliant_." She threw back. He rolled his eyes, chuckling. "You're funny." She told him.

"You're hilarious." He threw back, winking. She hit him on the chest, laughing.

"_You're_ an amazing liar."

"As are you, my dear." He said, propping his head up on his elbow. She did the same, leaning over to kiss him on the lips.

"I guess we aren't opposites." She said into his lips. She frowned and pulled back, as she realized what this meant.

"Well that doesn't mean we'll end up like our friends." Remus said quickly, assuring her.

"You're right." She said, touching his hand softly. His glove-clad hand laced his fingers through hers, and despite how long they'd been dating, she still felt her heart flutter every time they touched. Her insides warmed at the simple gesture, and she looked up to the sky, sighing.

She wondered fleetingly if that's why Sirius and Marlene had broken up. Maybe they had stopped having feelings for each other-just like that.

"Remus?" She asked, still looking at the sky, as if the clouds contained her future with him.

"Yeah?" He said, peering at the white snowflakes that fell softly on them.

"You'll never leave me will you?" She asked, voice shaking slightly. She tilted her head to see his face. He was looking at the sky, and he smiled, turning his head to her.

There was a truth in his eyes, saying that he'd never leave her, and at that moment, she'd never felt more sure of him.

"I love you Jane." He said, and she smiled, rubbing her thumb on the back of his hand.

"I love you too Remus." She said back, and it wasn't because it was habit to say it by now, and it wasn't because she would feel bad if she didn't say it back. At that moment, she couldn't think of anything else to say but those words. They seemed to sum up everything she thought of him, and looking into his eyes, she saw he understood that. He squeezed her hand gently, but enough for her to know he was there. He always would be.

* * *

><p>"Tomorrow would've been there one-month anniversary." Lily sighed, cold hand in James'.<p>

As they walked down to the kitchens, they dragged along with them a trail of melted snow. James took off his hat and mussed up his hair quickly before Lily could see.

"I saw that." She chuckled, looking straight ahead. James knew she hated it when he tried to look like he'd just got off a broom so he'd tried to stop, but by now it was a habit.

"Damnit Lil." He sighed, and she laughed. "Have you got eyes in the back of your head? I thought it was only my mother."

"I think you'll find most women do." She laughed her cheery laugh again, cheeks still rosy from outside.

"I think you're adorable." James told her, and she turned to look at him. He smiled and she unwrapped her Gryffindor scarf from her neck.

She encircled it around the back of James' neck, and gave it a small tug, pulling him into a kiss. He laughed against her lips and she grinned back.

"_I_ think I love you." She said as they pulled back and continued walking down to the kitchens hand in hand.

Tickling the pear never came as a shock anymore, and as they walked in, their favorite house elf greeted them.

"Mr James! Ms Lily!" She squeaked, bouncing and bowing to them.

"Rosie…" Lily warned, and the house elf stopped mid-bow immediately.

"Many sorrys Ms Lily!" Rosie said. Lily had kindly asked Rosie to stop bowing to her every time they saw one another.

"May Rosie take your coats?" Rosie asked. James took off his and handed it to her, helping Lily take hers off.

"Always the gentleman." She muttered under her breath. He kissed her on the cheek and chuckled.

Rosie took their coats to the closet and they went to sit down at the table. James—of course—pulled out her seat for her.

"Thank you kind sir." She said, sitting in the chair. He smiled and went to sit across from her. Rosie bounced back to them, big eyes staring at them.

"What does Ms Lily and Mr James want?" She asked.

"Two hot chocolates please Rosie." James answered, flashing her two fingers. Rosie nodded, then turned to Lily, smiling widely.

"Drooble's Double-Size Marshmallows arrived today by owl. Would Ms Lily-"

"Yes please!" Lily interrupted, and the house elf squealed in delight. Lily was grinning; her favorite thing from the sweetshop was Drooble's Double-Size Marshmallows, but for some reason they took a long time to arrive at the school. Rosie looked close to hurting herself every time she told Lily they had run out of them.

"Oh, it's no problem Rosie." She would say, waving a hand indifferently. Rosie would blink back tears, saying Lily was the nicest witch she had ever met.

Rosie ran away into the kitchens, pillowcase flapping around her.

"I wish she would let me buy her some clothing." Lily sighed, as they heard a loud clang. She turned to see Rosie picking up the pan that she wore on her head as a hat, and then scampering off into the kitchens.

James placed his hand on hers and looked at her seriously. "Lil, I'm worried about them."

So they were on this topic again. As much as they wished they both didn't worry about their friends, they couldn't help but worry.

"I know." She sighed. She just wished Marlene would tell her something about what had happened.

"It's not like him to just… not tell me these things. We don't keep secrets." James looked down at the floor.

Lily wanted to say it was the same with her and Marlene, but it wasn't. She saw James and Sirius way too often to not notice _just _how close they were. And although Marlene and her were inseparable and they were the best of friends, James and Sirius were… brothers. There was really no other word to describe the relationship the two of them had. You hardly ever saw one without the other, and Lily could see just how much this was killing James.

"James…" She started, holding both his hands in hers. He looked up to her.

Those eyes. Those bright, clear, emerald green eyes. When he looked into them, he felt they contained his future. His future with Lily.

Rosie arrived with their steaming mugs of hot chocolate, standing on her tiptoes to place them in front of James and Lily.

"Thanks Rosie." Lily said for her and James, because he was now looking at their hands, sort of in a trance.

"I'm just glad I have you." James said quietly, still looking down. Lily's heart rose and fell quickly in her chest, and she put her hand to his chin, tilting it up to look at her. They sat there in silence for a while.

"We'll figure this out. I promise we will." She said finally, looking deeply into his hazel eyes.

He smiled gratefully at her, then took a sip of his hot chocolate. He grabbed a spoon and spooned out his marshmallows to put in her mug, knowing well they were her favorites.

She looked up at him, and he smiled. The small gesture made her feel incredibly loved, and she knew that they would never end up like Sirius and Marlene had.

**AN: So yes, M and S have indeed broken up. Sorry their relationship was so short-lived, but this needed to be done. *nods sadly.* I hope you all liked this chapter, and I wish you all a Happy April Fools Day! (i swear this isn't an april fools day joke guys lol.)**

**Review for me? -Taylor :)**


	35. Little Lion Man

**AN: I think this is honestly the longest chapter I've written... I just didn't want to stop! :)**

"Marlene, get up."

Marlene ignored her two best friends, and just prayed they would leave.

"I'm not joking Mar, if you don't get up in the next two seconds, I know a spell that starts with _A _and ends with _guamenti _with your name on it."

"I'm _up." _She moaned, tilting her head to see Lily and Jane sitting beside her bed, Lily's wand raised.

"Great. Now, we've given you time, we didn't push you to talk about it Friday, Saturday _or _Sunday. But now it's Monday, and we need to know what happened. _Not _just that you two have broken up."

"Can we… talk about this later? You know, not as soon as I wake up?" Marlene said sarcastically.

"No, because you'll find a way to distract us and not tell us." Jane said. Marlene cursed silently in her head, knowing they would catch on to her plan sooner or later.

Marlene sighed. The thought of what happened no longer brought tears to her eyes; she only felt her heart drop every time she thought of him.

_There it goes now. _She thought, feeling her heart in her stomach. It was a constant painful and embarrassing reminder that he had cheated on her.

"Marlene," Lily sighed, sitting on her bed and trying to pull Marlene up. "You know we're only trying to help you."

Marlene said nothing, just allowed herself to be pulled into a sitting position by Lily. She looked at them both, then took a deep breath, knowing she'd have to tell them sooner of later.

"He cheated on me." She said slowly and winced as her heart fell again, hard.

"He did not." Jane said, sounding highly affronted.

Marlene smiled sadly and nodded.

"That _git!"_ Lily spat, getting up. Marlene pulled her back down quickly.

"Don't, okay? I don't want him to have the satisfaction of knowing I made a big deal of it."

"Well, with good reason! You'd have to be _emotionless_ not to!" Jane said, throwing her hands wildly all over the place.

"Guys, seriously… I need calm." Marlene rubbed her temples, and Jane and Lily went quiet after that. Marlene sat in the silence for a while, cherishing it, knowing she wasn't going to have much of it. After about a minute of complete silence, Lily spoke up.

"Who?" She whispered.

Marlene let out a cold laugh, then swallowed it. "Some Ravenclaw, I didn't know her."

"_Oh Marlene_." Jane said finally, hugging her. Lily joined in, and the three friends stayed like that for a while, before Marlene pulled back.

"Thanks for the support guys, but… I'm over it now."

Lily raised her eyebrows and Jane rolled her eyes.

"Marlene, it's us. You don't have to lie." Jane said. Marlene scoffed.

"I'm not lying."

"Double Black Hippogriff Swear on it?" Lily said, eyeing Marlene carefully.

Marlene hesitated, then-

"No." She broke, putting her head in her hands. "Guys, I… I'm not over it okay? It feels like there's been a knife stabbed through my heart and speaking about it is even worse, so let this be the last time we do it okay? I'll answer your questions and tell you everything, but don't make me relive all this again, please." Marlene begged of them. They nodded silently, and they all took deep breaths.

"Tell us everything that happened. From the very beginning." Jane breathed. And so she did.

* * *

><p>"Well, I went looking for him. You know, I… just wanted to see him. So, I saw the guys in the common room, and they hadn't seen him, but Remus suggested I look in the fifth floor corridors—that's where Sirius goes to think sometimes—and so I did, and I walked past them, and… saw them." She gulped.<p>

"Just out there in the open like that?" Lily wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Well, they were sort of in the shadows, but yeah, pretty much." Marlene had never really thought about it before that, but it was pretty disgusting. It was one thing to cheat on your girlfriend, but another to just do it out wide in the open for anyone to see.

"And so I just gasped—I wasn't really sure what I was seeing at first—and he turned and saw me. He let go of the girl and grabbed my hands, but I shoved him away, and ran into the common room. At that point you had joined the guys and… well you know the rest after that." Marlene looked down at her hands.

"You know he still won't talk to the guys?" Jane asked. Marlene looked up, taken aback by this comment.

"It's true. Not one word."

"And they reckon he's been staying in The Room?" She asked. Lily and Jane nodded.

"He doesn't come here. Hasn't since it happened." Lily said, and Jane nodded. Marlene looked at the clock, and realized just how much she really didn't want to leave her bed.

"D'you reckon I can skip classes?" Marlene asked. Lily bit her lip, then shook her head.

"I want to say yes, really I understand what you're going through-"

Marlene was sort of taken aback by how much that comment angered her. No, Lily _didn't_ understand. Sure, Lily had been dumped once before. It had broken her heart, but it was nothing like how Marlene felt right now. To see somebody you actually trusted to just break everything you had with them? They would never understand how that felt. Being dumped by someone actually showed they had the decency to talk to you about it.

"-But you know the teachers are starting to bring out N.E.W.T. material." Lily finished. Marlene nodded, knowing she was right and got ready for classes. When they were all finished, they walked out of their dorm.

"So…" Jane started, scuffing her shoes against the stairs.

"Yup." Marlene said, popping her lips. They walked in silence out of the common room and into the corridors. They made their way to the Great Hall; James already sitting eating cereal. Lily sat beside him and Marlene didn't miss the way he gave her an uncertain look before turning back to Lily.

* * *

><p>Monday morning, Sirius Black awoke very tired. He yawned and threw on the clothes he'd worn all weekend, realizing his book bag was in his dorm. He had been hoping to avoid seeing his friends as long as possible—looked like that time was up now. He walked the familiar path down to the Gryffindor tower, and finally made it up to his dorm. He walked in slowly, and saw Remus throwing his robes on lazily.<p>

Remus turned at the sound of the door opening and stopped what he had been doing immediately.

"Sirius!" He said, as Sirius shut the door behind him.

"Hey."

Remus grabbed him by the arms and shook him. "What the hell is the matter with you?"

Sirius stared at the ground and said nothing.

"You're gone for hours, nobody can find you…"

Sirius looked at the door, wanting to bolt. He probably would have had Remus not still been holding his arms.

"Marlene comes back after looking for you like she's seen a ghost…"

Sirius' heart thrust in his chest wildly at the mention of her name.

"You come back, and then run away to who the hell knows where for days!" Remus ended finally.

Sirius looked up at him guiltily. "I know, I'm sorry but… _Remus_…" Sirius said, grabbing Remus' arms too. "I _really _fucked up this time." He said softly.

Remus grabbed his book bag and Sirius did the same. They both walked out of their dorm, and down the staircase. They exited the portrait and walked down the hallways in silence, until Remus finally broke it.

"What did you _do_?"

"I…" His voice broke in his throat, and he leaned onto his best friend for support, who gave it willingly. "I kissed a Ravenclaw." He finally managed to croak out.

Remus stiffened at his side, and said nothing. They had stopped walking now, and were just standing in the middle of an empty hallway.

"I know it sounds bad…"

"It doesn't _sound_ bad. It _is_ bad." Remus snapped, stepping away from Sirius.

Sirius looked down at his feet. "Not going to hear my side of the story mate?"

Remus hesitated. "I'll hear it." He sighed. "But I can't promise I'll like it."

"You probably won't. Just give me a chance to explain."

* * *

><p>"I had been thinking a lot that day. You know, about Marlene and I." He paused as his heart jumped again at her name. "I mean, I think I knew all along I would be the one to screw us up. I was basically just putting off the inevitable."<p>

Remus looked like he was about to interrupt, then thought better of it and said nothing.

"And so I was thinking that day, and I think I finally realized that what we had… it was… no longer what I wanted."

Remus couldn't stop himself this time. "What do you mean it wasn't what you wanted, you told me you_ loved her_."

"I did. Hell, I still do _now_." He ran a hand through his hair. "Now I've lost her."

Remus waited for him to go on, but he didn't.

"You _still_ haven't explained-"

"_Why_ I did it. I know. I'm not exactly sure of why I did either." Sirius sighed. "I just saw Brittany and… well, it was different than Marlene. With Marlene it's like... routine. Brittany was unplanned. Like, I knew I shouldn't have been doing it, but that's sort of what made it… spontaneous. You know?"

"No." Remus stated grimly.

"Well, by any means it was a spur-of-the-moment thing. I knew it would never happen again, it was sort of on impulse that I did it, I guess. But with Brittany it wasn't like how it was with Marlene, and I realized that seconds too late. I only knew it when I saw her. Her… _beautiful_ face staring at me. I realized I had lost her then, and my heart broke."

Remus' face showed no sympathy. "Damnit Padfoot, why do you do this." He said gruffly, putting a hand to his forehead.

"I don't _know _okay? And what's worse, is that I've spent my entire life telling myself I'm different from my family. That I'm not an evil person… I'm wrong. I am. I have always been… I've just been too damn conceited with myself to notice."

Remus' face softened. "Padfoot, you know you're different from your family."

"Am I? Am I _really_? Just because they're evil by definition? I'm evil too, in a different way. Maybe even worse, because I do it thinking I'm not bad. At least they can admit they're evil."

"Sirius, listen to me." Remus grabbed him by the shoulders. "You want to know the difference between evil and good? It's what you feel afterwards. You hurt Marlene, and do you feel regrets?"

Sirius nodded. Did he ever.

"Then you're different. Evil people take joy in being evil. You were sorted into Gryffindor for a reason okay? You are a strong, pure, good friend who was put into Gryffindor despite his family's past. You _are _good."

Sirius smiled at his best friend sadly. They were quiet for a while.

"Think she'll take me back?" He asked. He knew the answer already, but he hoped.

"No." Remus said softly, hating that he had to be the one to say it. Sirius blinked slowly, swallowing his sadness, then he plastered on a fake smile.

"Well, what do you say we go get some breakfast then."

"Sirius, don't. It's me; you don't have to pretend for another couple of minutes. Enjoy it."

Sirius' smile fell and they walked in complete silence the rest of the way to the Great Hall before a thought struck Sirius.

"What do I say when I see her?" He said, pausing right in front of the Great Hall. He poked his head around the door carefully, and saw that she was sitting there along with Lily, Jane and James.

"Err…" Remus said. "I don't know."

Sirius nodded, then figuring he couldn't put this off, walked in with Remus. Remus deserted him halfway to them, as he ran to his girlfriend, draping his arm casually over her shoulders. Sirius walked at a regular pace towards where his friends sat, looking at the ground. He didn't miss how they all went silent as he sat down beside James, who stiffened slightly beside him.

Nobody said hello, and neither did he. He looked down at his empty plate for a few seconds in the thick, silent air as he took a deep breath.

"Right." He said suddenly. "Goodbye."

"Padfoot." James muttered, getting up.

"What?" He whispered back, seeing Marlene staring at him from the corner of her eye.

James looked at Sirius for a long time.

"_What_?" He repeated, edgier and louder this time.

James rolled his eyes at him, then turned away and sat back down beside Lily. Sirius turned without a backwards glance, snatching up a piece of toast before leaving.

Sirius made his way to their first class: Herbology. Although spots in this class were not assigned, it was always Peter, Remus, Sirius, and then James in that order. Even when he had been dating Marlene it had stayed in that order.

He took his usual spot and nibbled aimlessly on his toast.

_Wonder what they're talking about now._

* * *

><p>"Are you <em>sure <em>Marlene?" James said uncertainly.

"_Yes_ I'm sure. I'm not an _idiot_." She snapped. Marlene had just finished telling James that Sirius had cheated on her. She hadn't gone into full details, but James had been dying to know what was going on, so she told him. She felt sort of like a snitch now though.

He raised his hands defensively, and then draped his arm around Lily's shoulders. Predictably, she shrugged him off.

"What is the_ problem,_ Lil." James sighed to her, as Marlene walked up to Jane and Remus.

"'_What is the problem?_' The problem is that both—yes _both_—of our best friends are having a huge fight. What kinds of friends would we be if we let them deal with it themselves?"

"Um, normal ones?" He said sarcastically, then chuckled. "Lily, do you even hear what you're saying? You're_ supposed _to let your friends deal with their problems on their own. Sure, you can be a shoulder to cry on or an ear to listen, but you can't control whatever happens. Only they can."

"But-"

"And they would agree." He interrupted. "During our row, they didn't step in. They asked if they could help in some way sure, but they knew they couldn't control it. And you should too." He said softly.

She smiled at him and took his arm. She gently draped it across her shoulders and he pulled her into a hug.

"I love you Lil." He whispered into her hair.

"I love you, James." She said into his chest and then they walked the rest of the way into Herbology. As James walked into the greenhouse, he saw his friends had sat where they usually sat, and he smiled. He hadn't wanted this to change, but James needed to talk to Sirius about what had happened.

He sidled up next to him and muttered a "Hey."

Sirius turned and nodded his head to him.

"So, you going to tell me what happened?" James asked.

Sirius barked out a laugh, then swallowed it, gulping nervously. "Now's not really the place and time."

"Alright, later then. Swear?"

Sirius sighed. "Yes Prongs, I swear."

"Right then class!" Professor Sprout called out to them all. In all honesty, Peter was the only of the four of them who actually liked this class; but they all had to take it to become Aurors.

"Today we'll be pairing up into…"

The rest was caught off in Sirius' ears as he yelled madly inside his head.

_Of course we're bloody pairing up into partners! What else did you expect on the one day you don't want to?_

"I will be choosing of course." Professor Sprout said with an obvious look to James, Sirius and Remus. James and Remus grinned sheepishly, but Sirius was too busy cursing her silently to the deepest pit of hell in his head.

* * *

><p>"Hi." Sirius mumbled to his partner.<p>

"Hello." Jane said stiffly, then turned to her pot. He sighed.

"Look Jane," He started.

"Well _partner," _She cut him off. "I think you should go get some protective gloves if you're actually going to do any work."

He raised an eyebrow at how she had put that; she made it sound as if he normally didn't do his work.

"I will, thanks." He tried to sound as friendly as possible. A week ago he was pretty close friends with Jane. Where had all that gone?

_Hmm, maybe she hates you just like Marlene and Lily do too. _

"Jane." He said.

She turned to look at him with her eyebrows raised. He would've thought it was impossible for Remus' innocent, blue-eyed, sweet, shy girlfriend to look threatening. But by Merlin, she was downright intimidating right then.

"I er," He stumbled on his words. "I'm sorry." He said, then wanted to smack himself on the forehead, knowing already what she would say to that.

Predictably, she said frostily, "I really don't think you should be apologizing to _me_."

"Jane wait," He said, touching her arm lightly as she turned away. She looked at him. "Do you think she'll forgive me? Ever?" He asked doubtfully.

She shrugged her shoulders at him, looking like she didn't give a damn what happened with him now; not after what he had done to her best friend. He closed his eyes and nodded.

"Well, thanks Jane." He said, turning to get his gloves.

"Sirius-wait." She said.

He turned around to her, and she fixed him with a strong look.

"You mean to tell me you care if she forgives you?" She said, still not breaking the frosty wall between them.

He swallowed. "Jane, I want her back. I made the biggest mistake of my life… I need to get her back."

Her icy glare broke for a second into a confused one, and then changed back. "Well you don't get to have her back. You _really_ hurt her Sirius. Maybe you should start thinking before you do some things."

He looked down and nodded, walking to get his gloves.

"Mr Black, I gave those out ages ago. You're much too late now!" Professor Sprout said after he asked for a pair.

"I know." He said, but he wasn't talking about the gloves. He snuck a look at Marlene, who was in the middle of taking out a plant from her pot. As if on cue, she looked up at him, then looked straight back down again.

He sighed then turned back to go to his seat.

"No gloves left." He muttered to her.

"Guess you can't work then. Bummer for you." She said sarcastically, but not in a joking way.

"Jane, please. We used to be friends."

She froze, then turned to him slowly. "Yeah, you're right. We used to be, until you went and screwed everything up. Who's side do you expect me to take? _Yours?"_ She snorted. "Marlene is my best friend."

"You don't have to take a side, Jane!" He said a little too loud.

Most of the class stopped and looked at them, and Professor Sprout chuckled.

"He's right Jane. You have to pull it up from the roots, not the sides. Very good Mr Black." She nodded, and the rest of the class turned back to their plants, unfazed.

"You want me to stay friends with you?" She said quietly. Sirius nodded.

"I don't want to lose you too." He sighed.

She was silent for a long time, looking into his face for some sort of clue that he might be lying. He wasn't.

"I'll think about it." She muttered, turning back to her plant. He sighed at how many things he had managed to destroy in one day. Relationships, friendships… How long would it take to build it all back?

He looked over to her again, seeing her tuck her hair behind her ear and lean into the pot carefully. Again, she stiffened and looked at him quickly. She turned back just as quick, and he wondered if she had known he was staring at her in some weird way.

**AN: OOOMMGGG ok so GINORMOUS chapter, I know. I have amazing ideas for the upcoming chapters (i'm so excited you guys have no idea) and so that is why this is all absolutely nessesary. I know what you may be thinking: _I want a James and Lily story, not a Marlene and Sirius story! _And I know, and I'm sorry. This is still (obviously) a Jily story, just with some added other characters! Sorry if you don't like that, but as I said before, it is nessesary for what I'm planning to do with the rest of this story. As well, after this chapter I will be changing the title to: _Hogwarts: 1978. _Because that is the year of their seventh year, and this story is all about their seventh year. Sooo, yeah. I think I've said all I wanted to in this SUPER LONG CHAPTER, and I really, REALLY hope you guys review! Please, it lets me know you guys are liking where this is going! Thanks so much!**

**-Taylor :)**


	36. I'm Sorry

**Quick AN: Are you guys liking this Sirius/Marlene **

As the seventh year Gryffindors made their way down to their next class, it was awkward. The usual seven friends had no split into two groups of three and four. Three girls; Marlene, Jane and Lily walking in front of the four boys; Peter, Remus, James and Sirius. They were divided enough to have separate conversations, but the other group would hear every word of the conversation.

You could see how this made things awkward.

"So er, Jane." Lily started. The four boys tried to make conversation to show that they weren't hanging on to every word of the girl's conversation, but it didn't really work.

"Remus," James started.

"Did you give in your two pages of parchment on Hinkypunks?" Lily asked.

"Have you finished that Charms essay yet?" James asked Remus.

"No, I'm still working on it." Remus and Jane said at the exact same time. Jane looked over her shoulder at him and smiled. Remus winked back, fighting a grin.

Sirius felt a cool sensation pierce through his chest at their display of care, and he looked instantly over to Marlene. She was walking with her head down, every so often looking up to smile at her friends.

He saw through every one of those fake smiles. He knew what she was doing, because he was doing the exact same thing. They both didn't want their friends to know they were down, so they hid it behind a smile, showing them that nothing was wrong when in reality, everything was wrong.

"So James," Sirius started loudly. Lily looked back at Sirius strangely, and Sirius smiled confidently back. Lily rolled her eyes. "Who's coming over this year for Christmas?"

James frowned. "Er, the usual crowd I think. Obviously you guys, right?" He turned to Peter and Remus.

Remus nodded but Peter sighed. "Mum says I can't. Last Christmas before I'm a legal adult, I think she thinks I'll skive off when she doesn't have full custody over me." He frowned and shrugged. "But I might be able to come for a day or two."

James frowned sympathetically, then straightened up. He smiled.

"Hey Lil," He called. She turned around, looking like she was trying to seem like she hadn't heard what they were already talking about. "Wanna come over to my house for Christmas?" He asked. She smiled.

"I would love to." She looked at Jane and Marlene and then frowned. "But… I promised Jane and Marlene I would spend it with them."

"So you ladies are invited too!" James said, ignoring the violent headshakes Sirius was giving him. "The more the merrier!" He grinned.

As the three girls continued walking down to D.A.D.A, Sirius hauled his friends over to the side of the corridors. He waited until the girls were out of earshot, then widened his eyes.

"Prongs! What the hell?" He hissed.

"_What_? I want Lily to come!" James said back.

"But I don't want Marlene to come! That's going to be so awkward!"

James considered this for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right. But I can't just un-invite her now. Why don't you just try to patch things up with her?"

Sirius looked like he was about to say something, then closed his mouth. He thought about it. "Well… I suppose I can try. Highly unlikely though, don't you think?"

"No. Not highly unlikely. Bloody highly unlikely." Remus said. Sirius fixed him with a look. "What? I didn't want you to get your hopes up!" Remus said defensively.

"Well I don't think it's _that_ unlikely. I mean, you guys became best friends in days! Remember? Right after that Quidditch match in September, you two always hung out!" Peter said.

"Yeah, but she didn't think of me as a dirty cheater back then."

At this, James and Peter raised their eyebrows at him. Sirius sighed. "Prongs, I promised you I'd tell you about it later. You too Wormtail."

They nodded, but there was now a thick layer of discomfort in the air. Nobody seemed to want to break it.

"Oh for the love of Merlin! Fine! You want to know what really happened?" Sirius exclaimed. James nodded, as did Peter.

"I've heard it all, so I'll go to D.A.D.A. You guys can copy off me later." Remus sighed, and continued walking down the hall, slightly faster now because he was late. Sirius pulled his friends into the first empty classroom he could find, and they all sat down at the desks.

James looked around, and was hit with a wave of nostalgia.

"Whoa. This was where we saved Lily from the Boggart." James said quietly. Sirius did a double take, and realized James was right. Sirius and James stood there for a moment in silence, reminiscing on September. Peter sat quietly, letting them ponder their thoughts in silence.

"Can you believe that was only three months ago?" Sirius murmured. James shook his head in disbelief. He felt so much… older now. Like he had matured greatly in the three months that he had been a seventh year.

"Padfoot. Why did you do this?" James finally asked.

"I don't know. But it was the biggest mistake I've ever made. I felt a jolt of… _I don't even know what_ when I say Brittany that night in the halls. She flirted with me, and the rest just came without thinking about it. I literally was not thinking, and now I'm paying for it." He sighed. "She'll never forgive me. I don't blame her."

"Who's Brittany?" Peter asked.

"I don't know." He said, then smacked his hand on a desk, making his friends jump in surprise. "_Damnit_! You see? I'm a bloody, conceited bastard! Look at me! She was just a random slag looking for a snog, and I gave in to her! I didn't even know the damn girl!"

"I thought you loved Marlene." James said seriously.

"I did. I do still now, and I probably always will. She was a perfect girl… And I lost her." He shut his eyes.

"Well, have you apologized?" Peter said. Sirius thought for a moment.

"You've _got_ to be bloody _joking_! You want her to forgive you, and you haven't even _apologized_?" James exclaimed. Sirius looked at the cupboard and shook his head.

"You _git_! Go apologize!" Peter shouted at him laughing, awe-struck at his friend's stupidity. And everyone said he was the dumbest Marauder.

"Well, it's not like I've really seen her much since it happened! The first time I saw her since it happened was this morning, and she wouldn't even make eye contact with me! How am I supposed to apologize to her?" Sirius said, frustrated.

"'Hey Marlene, can I talk to you for a second?'" James said, shrugging his shoulders. "It's not that hard."

"Oh right, so that's why_ you_ apologized to Lilyafter her coma?" Sirius said sarcastically. James froze, and turned to look at Sirius slowly. Sirius knew he had hit a nerve, but he wasn't taking it back.

"I did." James said quietly.

"Yeah, after _she_ did! And then you still didn't say it to her face! You wrote it in… _oh my Merlin that's genius!" _

James and Peter looked at each other, then to their best friend curiously. James understood before Peter.

"Oh no. No, no, no, no-"

"Prongs, we made the notebooks _together! _They're just as much yours as mine!"

James sighed. He opened up his book bag and shoved the notebook at Sirius.

"Fine. Whatever. Just let Lily know it's you before you say anything else."

Sirius promised he would, and then took out a quill. He sat at one of the deserted desks, opened the notebook to a random page, and began writing.

* * *

><p><em>Lily, it's Sirius. Pass the notebook to Marlene.<em>

Marlene jumped as words started writing by themselves on Lily's notebook. She tilted the notebook towards it—Lily wasn't using it anyways, she always just kept it on her desk in case James wanted to talk—and read.

Her eyes widened, then narrowed.

_She doesn't want to say anything to you Black. _She wrote, pretending she was Lily. She wondered what Sirius might say about her if he didn't know it was she he was talking to. Marlene looked at Lily; good she was paying attention to the lesson.

She waited.

Black?_ Is that what I am to you now?_

She rolled her eyes, ready to write, then something else came on her notebook.

_I thought we were more than that Marlene._

She actually had to read what he wrote twice. How in the hell did he know…?

_You think after 3 months of being friends I wouldn't know your handwriting?_

_We were more than just friends. _She wrote stiffly.

_Marlene, I'm sorry. I know you're probably thinking 'Wow Sirius is such a coward to have to say sorry over notes' but I couldn't think of any other way. I didn't want anyone else to be there, and you wouldn't even talk to me anyways. So I'm sorry._

She stared at that page long and hard.

_You're still a coward. _She wrote stubbornly.

_I'm glad you haven't changed. _He wrote. She could practically hear him chuckling.

_What, you thought I would? You thought you were such a big impact on my life that this whole thing would've changed me completely? Please. _

She was aware she was being a bit rude, but she didn't care.

_Marlene… can you meet me? In the Room, tonight? Please?_

Her lips tightened and she took a deep breath through her nose. She exhaled slowly, then wrote.

_I'm not promising you anything, but I'll see. _She wrote, then closed the book quickly, not wanting to read his reply. Mostly, because she had to calm herself from saying '_Yes!' _because in all honesty, she really did want to see him. A lot.

And that's when she realized it.

_I'm still in love with Sirius Black. _

**AN: wait, what? :$ Hehe get used to everyday updates again! Please review and tell me what you're thinking about how this is all going, because it lets me know you're all enjoying reading this as much as I'm enjoying writing this! And don't worry, James and Lil parts are not gone, they are still here. In my mind they would all just be a little off about their best friends fighting, don't you think? ;) Thanks for reading and review it if you care :***

**-Taylor :)**


	37. Friends?

Lily picked up her quill and notebook, noticing Marlene staring at the one James had given her.

"You can use it, if you'd like." She said.

Marlene snorted. "And talk to who, James?"

"I was thinking more along the lines of Sirius." Lily said softly. Marlene looked up quickly, her cheeks flushed.

"I er, sort of already did." She pushed the notebook towards Lily. "Sorry."

"It's…fine." Lily said. She wondered if Marlene was going to tell her what they had talked about, when she realized she already knew. She narrowed her eyes at the door, then shoved her things into her book bag angrily.

"Er… Lil?" Marlene said hesitantly.

Lily ignored her, and walked out of the D.A.D.A. classroom. She marched straight to their next class, knowing well that was where her boyfriend, Peter and _he _would be.

She swung open the door to Charms, and saw them sitting and talking calmly. They looked up at her arrival, and James smiled. His smile faltered when he saw her expression.

"Er… Lil?" James said uncertainly.

"I need to talk to your… _friend." _She sneered the word, motioning for Sirius to get up. He did, with a tentative look to his friends who just shrugged.

She pulled him out of the classroom and into the hallways.

"I can't _believe_ you! You apologized to her through the _book_?"

"Well, it worked on you!" Sirius said, raising his hands as if she was going to hit him. She realized she still had a heavy book in her hand, and she dropped it into her bag.

"James didn't _cheat_ on me you slimeball!" She shouted. "How can you even think these two scenarios are equal? The blame was both on James and I! This time, it's only _your_ fault."

He winced, and she ignored it.

"Well, what did she say?" She questioned impatiently.

"She didn't really specify whether or not I'm forgiven…" He said. Lily gave him a look that said he had better go on if he wanted to keep his head attached to his neck. "And so I asked to see her tonight."

Lily was quiet for a while, staring at the tile floor and biting her thumb nail.

"What did she say to that?" She asked quietly.

"She said she'd think about it." He said grimly. At this, Lily looked up to his face. She looked like she was searching for something there.

"You don't still…" She trailed off.

"Love her?" He said. Lily nodded. "Yeah, I do."

"_Sirius_!" She moaned. "Sirius, why are you doing this? You can't just play with a girl's heartstrings like that! Marlene may not look it, but she's fragile!"

He snorted. "Lily, we both know Marlene is _not _fragile."

"Well she has feelings!" Lily said angrily. "And you're messing with them!"

He hesitated. "I just need to talk to her." He said softly.

She shook her head and turned to walk back to class.

"Lily, wait." He grabbed her arm. She turned around to look at him. "Try to get her to meet me okay? Please?"

She said nothing for a while. "I'm sorry, I can't. If it were up to me, you would just leave her alone Sirius. Sorry." She said, then turned and walked into class, where everyone else had arrived when they had been talking.

Sirius realized Charms was one of the classes he sat with Marlene in. It had always been James and Lily, Remus and Jane, and he and Marlene as the sitting partners. He looked over to see Jane sitting in his usual spot.

Sighing, he walked over to Remus, and the empty spot beside him.

"Sorry mate." He apologized, knowing it was his fault Remus couldn't sit with his girlfriend. Remus nodded, then silenced him with his finger, pointing to Professor Flitwick who began to talk.

Sirius sighed again, and began thinking of what he would say to her that night if she showed.

* * *

><p>She didn't show.<p>

He waited patiently for an hour in The Room, but there was no sign of her. He sighed, then prepared to leave. He asked her to come at 7 o'clock after all, and now it was 8:03. She wasn't coming.

He pushed open the door and heard a slight intake of breath. He saw Marlene standing by the wall looking startled.

"Er… hi." She said.

He was speechless, and so he just said the first thing that came to his mind. "You do know the planned time was seven right?" He asked.

She smiled at the ground. "Yeah I know. Everyone told me not to come… they should've realized that the more they told me not to the more I would want to."

_I would've known. _He thought. It was true; he did know this about his girlfriend and he had used reverse-psychology on her numerous times.

"And so it took me awhile, but I finally decided to come. So…" She trailed off, motioning to the door. "Should we…?"

He opened the door for her and she walked in. He shut it behind them quietly.

"Well, I'm here." She said, sitting on the couch. "What did you want to talk about?" She asked. It never occurred to him that she would act this casual about the whole thing. He thought there might even be tears involved. But this was Marlene; he should have realized she'd be normal about it.

"I… _Marlene_." He sighed impatiently. Her eyebrows rose at his tone. "I'm so sorry."

She looked up this face, but her face was expressionless.

"Then why'd you do it?" She asked, looking at the wall.

"I don't exactly have a reason." He said honestly. She snorted.

"That's _so_ like you, isn't it?" She teased. He stuck his tongue out at her, then grinned. She rolled her eyes jokingly at him, smiling. He paused. Were they… flirting?

She was still smirking, and he walked over to where she sat on the couch. Their knees were centimeters away from touching, and he struggled to keep it that way, not wanting to be too forward.

She sighed and put her chin in her hands. The small movement had made their knees bump together, and they were now touching. She tilted her head to look at him, and his breath caught in his throat. His knee was burning where her knee was touching it, and he turned to face her completely.

Then without thinking, he leaned in closer to her until her face was inches away. They were both quiet for a moment; looking into the all too familiar eyes they had just by now memorized the exact colour and shape of.

"_It was a mistake_." He whispered softly. She could feel his breath on her cheeks, and without thinking, she moved closer to him instinctively.

Their noses were touching, and she felt his lips brush against hers slightly. She barely even felt it.

"Mistakes are meant for learning," She whispered, pulling back from him. "Not repeating."

She scooted over to the other edge of the couch so they were now far apart. "Now what did you want to talk about?" She asked, as if nothing had just happened. She rolled her eyes and crossed her legs. "Let me guess: You're extremely sorry and you want to be friends."

He gulped. "Not exactly."

She raised an eyebrow.

"You got the first part right. But I don't want to be your friend, I want to be your boyfriend."

She rolled her eyes. "Of course you do. That's why you were eating off that Ravenclaw's face?"

He winced. "That was a mistake. I already told you."

"And I told you; it's not a mistake if it's not the first time you've done it. After that, it's a choice."

"I didn't choose to cheat on you!" He exploded suddenly. Marlene raised an eyebrow and said nothing, letting him cool down. He took a deep breath, steadying himself.

"Sorry." He said. She nodded.

"You know what Sirius?" She asked. "I think it'd be better if we just forgot about all of this. Let's just go back to September, before we started dating. Let's just be friends again."

"I can't be your _friend_ Marlene. Not after what we've been through." He said honestly.

"Well I sure as hell can't be your _girlfriend_. Not after what I've been through." She told him honestly. It was truly amazing how they were still so comfortable telling the complete truth to each other; even now. Sirius sighed.

"I guess we can try." He decided. It was better than losing her forever.

She got up, and held out her hand for him to take. He took it, and she helped him up. She let go of his hand once he was up, but he gripped it tighter, not letting her let go of his hand. She gave him a look, and he grinned at her.

"Let's go back to September, yeah? When we were friends. And I could do this without it being weird."

"Sirius…" She groaned.

"It was your idea Mars bar." He told her cheekily. Their smiles both faltered at the use of his nickname for her, and endless memories flew past them.

"We can't do this." Sirius said, dropping her hand.

"We said we'd try okay? And that's the best we can do. I refuse to walk by you in the hallways and look down at my feet as if you're a stranger and we've never even met. Not after all we've been through. So please… can we just try?"

He bit his lip and smiled at her. She smiled back, and walked to the door.

"Was there anything else you wanted to tell me?" She asked, before walking out. She stood there, still in her Gryffindor uniform. Her tie was crooked and her shirt was un-tucked from her black skinny jeans. She raised a hand to flick a piece of dark brown hair that was in her eyes, and he remembered the countless times he had done that for her before kissing her. He didn't think before blurting out what was on his mind.

"I really believe you were the greatest thing that ever happened to me." He told her.

She pushed the doors open, then turned around to face him.

"Me too." She said quietly, as the door swung close and she stepped out from his sight completely.

**AN: I liked writing this chapter so I hope you all like reading it! Tell me if you did in the reviews please (yes, that means you silent reader). :P  
>But thanks for reading, and I hope you continue to, because soon the Christmas Holidays are coming up, and I've got loads planned for that! So stay tuned!<strong>

**-Taylor :) **


	38. A Man With A Plan II

**AN: Long chapter today, explanation at end. Enjoy :)**

"So you're telling me you're… friends?" James asked cautiously.

"That sounds about right, yeah." Sirius answered, piercing his eggs with a fork.

"And you're both okay with this." Jane said, looking at Marlene.

Marlene looked up at Sirius and they both smiled.

"Yes." The both said. Their friends all rolled their eyes at them, and Sirius winked at Marlene.

"I still can't believe you guys put us through all that drama." Lily said, taking a drink of her orange juice, then gagging. "Ew, what is this?" She said, wrinkling her nose.

"Oh, _that_ my dear Lilykins. Yes, that was my latest experiment. Made it just this morning down in the kitchens. It's a blend of tomatoes, pears, green peppers, egg yolks and my favourite: spinach! Then I changed the colour to orange of course!" Sirius cheered. Lily put a hand to her mouth, gagging. "Asked the house elves to give it specifically for you!"

"Watch your back, Black." She warned, wiping her tongue with a napkin.

"Won't be kissing James for a while now will you?" Remus teased. Lily threw her spinach-used napkin at him, and he recoiled, throwing it to Peter. Peter tossed it towards Marlene who rolled her eyes and dropped it on the table.

"You are all disgusting, you know that?" She asked them.

"But you love us!" Sirius said, missing the fact that Lily had pointed her wand at his drink. He chuckled at his joke and took a giant glug, finishing it off. He widened his eyes as he felt something on his tongue moving.

He spat out whatever it was onto his plate, shouting curses.

"Enjoy your slugs Sirius?" Lily asked sweetly. He grinned at her, then licked her cheek.

She screamed and hit him multiple times, rubbing her cheek off on his sleeve.

"I hate you." She said.

"Love you too." He said back, scooping up the slug on his plate with his fork. "Now, who wants little Sluggy here?" He taunted, waving the slug around on his fork. Everyone leaned away from him as he chuckled darkly.

"So anyways, last Hogsmeade before the Christmas Break is coming up…" James said. changing topics. He hopped off the bench, and grabbed Lily's hand, going down on one knee. "Lily Evans, would you do me the extraordinary honour of-"

"Being my date to Hogsmeade." His friends finished. They all laughed.

"Yeah, we haven't heard that one before James." Jane said sarcastically.

"Only every time he asks her." Peter muttered.

"Oh quiet all of you, I was enjoying this! Go on!" Lily said, turning to her boyfriend.

"As I was saying before being so rudely interrupted," He shot a joking smirk to his friends. "The _extraordinary_ honour of being my date to Hogsmeade this weekend?"

"I will! Of course!" Lily said, getting up and pulling her boyfriend up from his one knee. She threw her arms around his neck, but he pulled back.

"Er… I'd rather not have Sirius' foul concoction on my tongue for the rest of the day. Sorry Lil." He said. She cocked an eyebrow at him, and kissed him anyway—with tongue.

"Oh ew, Lil. We did_ not_ need to see that while eating." Marlene said, covering her eyes.

"Bleeargh!" James said in disgust. Lily gave him a look. "Not about your kiss love, that was amazing as usual-"

Marlene pretended to gag into her cereal.

"But that nauseating creation!" He finished, wiping his tongue with his napkin as well. He grabbed the back of Sirius' head and shoved the napkin into his face for several seconds as Sirius yelled in protest. James grabbed Lily's hand and pulled her away before Sirius could retaliate.

"See you guys in Potions! I'm going to go brush my teeth!"

"'Brush his teeth' my arse. He's going to snog Lily." Jane said.

"Mmm snogging doesn't sound like that bad of an idea now that you mention it." Remus said, light teasing in his voice. Jane caught on, and soon they were making their way out of the Great Hall too, giggling like first years.

Now all who rested was Marlene, Peter and Sirius.

"You know what, I think I've lost my appetite." She said, shoving her bowl away from her in disgust.

"What did you in: my concoction, the slugs or their _extreme_ P.D.A.?" Sirius said jokingly. Marlene stuck her tongue out, disgusted.

"I think a mix of all three."

"You finished with that?" Peter asked, pointing to her cereal bowl. Marlene pushed it towards him, and he finished it all, Marlene and Sirius staring at him in repulse.

"What? We can't let this food go to waste." He told them. The both shook their heads, but Sirius saw a familiar figure waling their way.

"Uh-oh. Hufflepuff at 9 o'clock." He warned. Marlene turned to 9 o'clock, and saw nothing.

"Sirius, what are you-"

"Hey Marlene." A voice interrupted her, and she turned to her 3 o'clock to see none other than a smiling Shawn McKinnon.

"Oh, hey Shawn. What's up?" She asked cheerfully.

"Well, you know the next Hogsmeade trip is coming up…" He said.

_Oh Merlin, please don't you do this to me. _Sirius begged to The Great Wizard up in the sky, knowing McKinnon could only be asking one thing.

"And well, I was wondering if you'd like to be my date to Hogsmeade this Saturday?" He said nervously, fixing his tie slightly.

Marlene's smile faltered, but only for a split second. Her eyes darted to Sirius quickly, then back to Shawn.

"I… Sure Shawn." She said, smiling. He grinned, then said he'd sort out the details with her later, and he'd see her in Ancient Runes.

Sirius waited until he was out of earshot, then turned to Marlene, jaw dropped.

"You and McKinnon huh?" He teased, laughing. "And since when has this been going on?"

"It hasn't." Marlene flushed. "We're partners in Ancient Runes. You remember, that class you said is 'totally pointless and a waste of time so you're never going to take it'? Yeah, that one." She said, then got up. "And we should probably get going if we want to make it to Potions on time." She told them, throwing her bag over her shoulder. "Oh, and Sirius." She told him as they were walking out.

"Yeah?" He asked carefully.

"9 o'clock and 3 o'clock are on two very different sides of the clock."

He laughed and ruffled her hair as he used to do all the time when they were dating. She pushed his hand away, and he felt an electric shock go through his fingers at her touch as it always did. He wondered if that feeling would ever go away.

* * *

><p>"James you idiot." Lily laughed, pushing him slightly for her had just made a terrible pun.<p>

"_Idiot?_ How insulting!" He gasped. "You take that back Lily Evans or I'll…"

"Or you'll what?" She challenged him.

"Or I'll do this!" He shouted, grabbing her waist. She screamed as he flipped her upside-down and carried her around their room.

"James put me down! James you idiot _put me down_!" She screamed, hitting his leg wildly, hair dragging against the ground. She could feel the blood rushing up to her face.

He tut-tutted. "Now Ms Evans, what did we say about the 'I' word?"

"James put me down _right now_ or I'll…"

"Or you'll _what?_" He said, pulling out her wand from the back pocket of her jeans. She mumbled something into his thigh and he laughed.

"What did you say?" He put her down on her feet gently.

"You touched my bum!" She said. He looked at her strangely. She pointed a finger into his chest accusingly. "James Potter you just touched my bum without my permission!"

"So?" He laughed, slinging his bag lazily over his shoulder and tossing her her wand, which she caught.

"_So_ Mr Potter, that is sexual abuse! I could have you in jail for this!"

"Ooh Muggle jail, I'm _so_ frightened." James said, waving his hands around. She punched him in the shoulder.

"Ouch Lil, that sort of hurt." He winced, putting a hand to his arm. She grinned.

"Good! That's the last time you make fun of Muggles around me." She said proudly. He rolled his eyes, knowing full well it wouldn't be.

"What do you say I make it up to you? How about I pay for all the sweets you want at Honeydukes this weekend?" He asked.

"No!" She said quickly, and he grinned. "James, you know I don't like it when you pay for me!"

He sighed, chuckling. "But Lil, it's tradition. When you go on a date, the man pays."

"Yes, but I don't see a man anywhere." She said, looking around the room. He grabbed her around the waist menacingly and she screamed. "Joke! It was a joke!"

"Damn right it was." He growled in her ear from behind. She giggled because it tickled. "And since I am the man, I am paying for everything you want. Also because I _looooove_ you." He said, kissing her neck. She turned around to face him.

"We should probably get going." She said, taking his hand and pulling him out of their dorm.

"So, what about Marlene and Sirius huh?" He said casually. Lily frowned.

"I can't believe after all that they're going to be friends. How is that even possible?"

"Well, they were friends before they started dating. Maybe it's not that hard to just go back to that?" James suggested. Lily shook her head.

"It's just so weird."

James agreed and draped his arm over her shoulders. They walked down to the potions dungeon together, and before long they arrived in the dungeon.

"Mr Potter, Lily." Slughorn acknowledged them both. James sat down beside Lily slowly.

"Why does he use your first name?" He muttered into her ear. She laughed and pushed him gently into his seat, quieting him.

"Now class, I am bringing back a potion we worked on last year." Slughorn pulled out a large cauldron from under his desk, and nearly all the students recognized it at once.

"Amortentia!" The girls in the class squealed quietly to their friends. Lily rolled her eyes at them, knowing they were probably going to try to sneak some and use it on her boyfriend.

"Thank you ladies, way to pay attention in class!" Professor Slughorn said excitedly, obviously thinking they had learned that in his class. They had probably learned it in the obsessive research they'd done after he'd introduced it to them last year.

"For those of you who may have forgotten… Lily dear, could you please provide a quick summary while I stir this?" He asked his favourite student. Lily smiled at him.

"Sure. Amortentia is the most powerful love potion in the world, it causes obsessive love. Of course," She paused, staring pointedly at the very many giddy girls in the classroom. "Nobody can _ever_ create the truly unbreakable, eternal, unconditional attachment that can be alone called love." James grabbed her hand under the table and she squeezed it back. He chuckled under his breath.

As the class started speaking again as Professor Slughorn stirred the potion, James chuckled again.

"You're funny when you're jealous."

"As you've said before. If I do recall judging by how you nearly killed him in that Quidditch match last month, you don't take very kindly to any boy that talks to me." She said shrewdly. He laughed, recalling of the memory.

"Yeah… good times. Last time Finnigan asked you on a date though, wasn't it?" She rolled her eyes but grinned, as Professor Slughorn began talking again.

"So have you asked your parents about Christmas yet?" He asked her, ignoring Slughorn.

"Not yet. Have _you_ even asked if I can come?" She asked. He snorted.

"Mum won't mind; she loves company."

"James, she won't be ready for three more guests. And plus, where will we sleep?"

He snorted again. "Lil, trust me. She'll be prepared, and even if she weren't it wouldn't make much of a difference. And you guys can sleep in the guest rooms."

"Guest _rooms_?" She asked.

He grinned then put a finger to his mouth, silencing her with a stern look. She rolled her eyes, laughed, and fixed her attention to the teacher.

The rest of the class passed by slowly, Lily watching carefully at the girls who were looking at the potion deeply. Professor Slughorn had to pull some of them away from the potion gently, saying some can even fall in love with the _smell_ of what they love.

As Lily, James, Marlene, Sirius, Remus and Jane walked to their next class, they were somewhat tired.

"Has this day been super long for anyone else or is it just me?" Remus groaned.

"I agree. And we've still got three more classes before we're done." Marlene complained.

"Doesn't help that out next class is with the Hufflepuffs." Sirius said grumpily, then brightened. "Though I'm sure _somebody_ doesn't mind in the slightest." He said, grinning. Marlene's cheeks flushed and she ignored the questioning looks her friends were giving her.

"So! As Lily hasn't asked yet, I'm going to guess you girls haven't either?" James said, changing the topic. "For Christmas at my house." He added.

They shook their heads. In all honesty, they weren't sure if James really wanted them to come, or if he was only saying it to be polite.

"Come on girls! I really want you to come! I'm not saying it to be like, _polite_ or something." He told them.

Well, that answered that.

Marlene grinned. "I'll owl mum tonight."

Jane nodded and said she'd do the same, taking Remus' hand.

"Well!" Sirius clapped his hands together. "Now that that's out of the way, let's talk about _you_ Marlene." He said evilly. She rolled her eyes but looked down at the ground.

"Okay you two, _what_ is up?" Lily sighed.

"Are you going to tell them darling, or shall I?" Sirius asked. Marlene was hiding her red face by her hair.

"Oh, just go ahead and tell them then." She muttered.

"Marlene got asked out by _McKinnon_!" He shouted loudly. Several other Gryffindors making their way down to Charms turned around to look at him, and he grinned back.

"You did not." Lily said to Marlene. Marlene looked up and grinned, nodding. While Lily and Jane fretted over Marlene, Remus and James snuck looks at Sirius.

"And your opinion on this is…?" Remus muttered so only he could hear. They let the three girls walk ahead of them, talking about what she would wear.

"Well obviously nothing like _that_ Lily, it's freezing out!" They heard Jane argue, and Remus chuckled at his girlfriend.

"I guess I'm fine with it." Sirius shrugged.

"You '_guess_'"? James repeated.

"Well, I mean obviously I'm a little put-out by this whole thing. I mean, we only broke up on Friday. But I guess I have to move on, and so does she." He watched her walking away excitedly with her friends, laughing. "She's having an easier time at that than I am obviously." He muttered.

James patted him on the shoulder. "How can you be so casual with her? I just don't get it."

"Yeah Padfoot, I mean… this is just crazy! How can you do this?" Remus asked.

"Well, it wasn't exactly my decision. I'd rather be her friend than a stranger to her though." He said.

"Noble." James nodded. Remus agreed, but Sirius only sighed.

"I just can't believe she's over me so fast." He said, shaking his head.

"Maybe she's not… Hey Padfoot, I've an idea…" James said, a plan forming in his mind. Remus and Sirius knew that look well; there was no mistaking the way his eyes lit up in enthusiasm, or the smirk he got. "It's a long shot, but it just might work." He said.

Sirius and Remus waited in anticipation.

"It'll start when you all come to my house on the break…"

**AN: Okay so for those of you that actually read my Author's Notes (lol) you would know that I have been in France for the past two months. They've passed by so quickly and I'm incredibly sad to be leaving so shortly.  
>Since I post new chapters practically everyday, I'm just going to tell you the next chapter porbably won't be up tomorrow, or the day after that. I will try though, I promise you that!<br>So Bon Voyage to me, and please review? I'd love you forever!  
>Merci beaucoup ;) Hope you guys liked it!<strong>

**-Taylor :) **


	39. Let The Games Begin

**AN: Another long chapter, hope everyone likes it! (P.S., we have fast-forwarded to the Christmas Holidays). Enjoy!**

The Hogwarts Express pulled into Kings Cross Station and they heard cheers erupt from the other compartments. James grinned at Lily who grinned right back, clear emerald eyes dancing with joy. Everyone was laughing and grinning, giddy from the excitement of what lay in front of them: two weeks of (nearly) unsupervised fun with their best friends.

James jumped up and grabbed Lily's suitcase for her, handing it to her.

"Thanks." She said, smiling at his chivalry. He grabbed his, then held the door open for her, never one to not be the complete gentleman.

"Right everyone, follow suit. Grab your things, and follow me." He said to Sirius, Remus and Jane.

"James!" A girls' voice yelled for him. He turned to see Marlene, face flushed and out of breath. She ran to him, dodging several suitcases and owl cages, and finally made it to him, suitcase in hand.

"Sorry guys." She apologized. They all smiled at her in forgiveness. She had ridden with Shawn McKinnon on the way over, saying she would meet them five minutes before they arrived at King's Cross.

"Late as usual." Sirius muttered under his breath. She looked at him, but his eyes were sparkling in teasing. She laughed and tossed her hair in his face, which he spat out when it got in his mouth.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's _go_!" James yelled. His friends all cheered in response, and Peter sighed.

"I'll see you lot later, yeah?" He said. Only Jane heard him though, over all the noise.

"See you Pete!" She called. He walked out the other way of the train sadly.

"Come on you nuts! Hurry up!" Sirius said to them all. "I wanna find Mum and Dad!"

Lily smirked at James who rolled his eyes, chuckling.

"Alright _bro_, calm down. We'll find them just as soon as this place calms down." James assured Sirius, who was jumping up and down excitedly, looking for the messy black hair that could only be James' father's.

"There! See that hair? That's Dad! DAD!" Sirius shouted over the crowd, seeing only a mess of jet black hair. An arm shot out from the crowd.

"Sirius!" They heard a man's voice yell back.

"_DAD_!" The two boys both yelled in unison. James grabbed Lily's hand and pulled her through the crowd, yelling at the others to follow him. Soon, they got through the ocean of people, and they stumbled into Mr and Mrs Potter's view.

"James honey!" Mrs Potter said, pulling him into a long hug. Mr Potter shook Lily's hand, his large hand wrapping easily around her slender one.

"Lily Evans. We've heard a lot about you." He said, winking at her. She laughed; looked like she knew where James got his subtlety.

"You must be Lily!" Mrs Potter said as James hugged his father.

"It's wonderful to finally meet you Mr and Mrs Potter." Lily said to them both. Mrs Potter surprised her by pulling her into a warm hug.

"Oh please call me Dorea." She said and Lily nodded.

"And me Charlus." James' father told her seriously, as if he hated being called anything else besides that and...

"DAD!" Sirius yelled as he stumbled through the crowd with Remus, Jane and Marlene. "MUM!"

"Sirius!" Charlus boomed, pulling him into a comfortable embrace. Lily watched smiling, knowing this was the family Sirius was really meant to be born in.

"There's Moony!" Charlus said, hugging Remus as well. Lily was surprised to hear James' father use the boys' nickname for Remus. Remus grinned.

"Great to see you as usual." Remus said. Jane and Marlene stood beside Lily, chatting with Dorea casually. Marlene and James' parents were very close as they both came from very long lines of purebloods and lived really near to one another.

"I'm Jane." Jane introduced herself to Mr Potter who grinned.

"Moony's girlfriend. Of course I've heard about you!" Charlus said, shaking her hand.

Remus groaned. "Charlus, I thought this was going to between you, I, and our owls!"

Charlus chortled and grabbed Marlene's suitcase.

"Boys, be gentlemen. Carry your girlfriend's things." Charlus said. James grinned up at Lily and took her suitcase from her hands. Well, she knew where James got his charm and manners too.

Sirius stood awkwardly as he had no one's suitcase to carry, and followed them out of the train station into a nearby lot, with very few other Hogwarts students.

"Right. Now who here knows how to apparate?" Charlus asked them. Marlene, Lily and Jane all said they did, then looked at the boys curiously.

Sirius shrugged. "We missed all the training classes. We had detentions."

"Why am I not surprised?" Lily joked.

"Right so you girls all take your boyfriends… Er, Marlene and Sirius can apparate together?" Dorea asked, not sure if things were awkward between the pair. Of course Sirius kept them up to date on everything that happened in his life, even going to them for relationship advice every so often.

"Sure." Marlene said, grabbing Sirius' hand somewhat stiffly.

"Great. We'll take the suitcases." Charlus turned to his wife. "Reckon we'll have to make more than one trip?"

"Of course Charlus, there's six suitcases here." Dorea said shrewdly to her husband, who chuckled in response.

"Willing to bet on that?" Charlus asked. Dorea's eyes sparkled, and it was obvious they did this sort of thing a lot; bicker-fought. It reminded Lily strangely of herself and James' relationship.

"Right, the address is 6 Jourly Street. Remember girls; _Destination, Determination, and Deliberation_."

Lily smiled and nodded to her, then turned to James. "Ready?" He grinned at her and nodded. She squeezed his hand, and shut her eyes, concentrating. She felt the familiar tug at her belly button, and before she knew it she was standing in front of a… castle. Well that couldn't be right.

"Blast it, screwed up." Lily muttered, grabbing his hand again and shutting her eyes. He laughed nervously.

"No you didn't. This is my… er, my house." James said quietly.

She froze, then opened her eyes slowly, looking at the castle for a second time. It looked more like a mansion with an old architectural design. It had very old rocks and plants that Lily couldn't name growing from the sides of the er... _house. _Her jaw dropped open and she faced him, laughing.

"You've got to be bloody joking me." She said, grinning. Her eyes canvased all over the place, not understanding how a family of three (okay, _four_ if you counted Sirius) could need something so… huge.

"Told you I could do it! Tomorrow we're having chocolate chip pancakes!" They heard James' father shout, laughing and holding four suitcases.

Sirius, Remus and James cheered. "Way to go Dad!" James said.

"I was going to make them anyways you silly old wizard." Dorea said to her husband teasingly.

"I know, but I won something else too." He said, then pulled her into a kiss. James and Sirius pretended to vomit and even Remus looked away but Lily thought it was romantic. The fact that they were still so much in love after all these years' married showed her that it was possible to fall so completely in love that you never fell out of it. She snuck a look at James who was already watching her adoringly. She smiled at him and he smiled right back, the faint dimple in his left cheek showing. His cheeks were flushed pink from the cold and his hat was forcing his messy hair onto his forehead messily, but nonetheless he was James Potter: the boy who had captured her heart ever since day one.

"Let's get inside kids, it's freezing." Dorea said, pulling away from her husband, laughing.

"Sounds good to me. Make us hot chocolate Mum?" Sirius begged. Dorea laughed and nodded.

"Sure, and there's someone here who'll like this: Drooble's Double-Size Marshmallows were on sale today so I bought three packets."

Lily's face broke into a grin and Dorea smirked at her, hazel eyes twinkling as James' did all the time.

"Let's go!" James burst suddenly, not able to hold it in any longer. "You guys show the girls their rooms, I'll show Lily her room!" He pulled her across the ginormous field that was what she guessed, their front yard.

_Purebloods. _She thought with a smirk, thinking of her front yard in comparison to this football field they called a front lawn. He opened the door and pulled her through the front hall. She dragged her heels and he groaned impatiently.

"C'mon Lil, I'll give you a house-tour later!"

"_House-tour."_ She chuckled. "More like a _castle_-tour."

He fixed her with a look, and bounded the stairs, two steps at a time, jumping up and down when he reached the top step. She finally joined him and he pulled her down a long hallway that had many different doors. He turned a corner and she was led into yet another hallway, this one with only three doors.

"Yours," He pointed to the first door. "Jane's" He pointed to the second. "Marlene's." He pointed to the third. She stared at the door that he dubbed as hers and walked up to it, feeling the door handle. It was light gold, but you could tell it was extremely old as the colour was somewhat faded in some areas, and the door knob had a couple dents that only everyday life could've done to it.

"Yes Lily, it's a doorknob. Crazy, I know. Now open the bloody door!" He shouted. She laughed and swung the door open, a strong waft of strawberries engulfing her. She took a deep breath of her favourite scent, and walked in further. The walls were painted her favourite colour: Orange.

"Orange." James shuddered dramatically. "Chudley Cannons."

"Oh, quiet you. You… did you paint this room orange just for me?"

"Paint." He chuckled, touching her nose adoringly. "Oh you're cute. But no Lily, sadly life is much harder as a wizard and instead of painting you do a spell. Takes forever... nearly a whole five seconds. How long does painting take again?"

She had stopped listening as soon as she realized he was making fun of Muggles again, and she started exploring her new room. They heard a knock on the door and saw Lily's suitcase floating mid-air. She walked over and grabbed it, pulling it over to put on her bed.

"Amazing." She whispered.

"Yes you are." He said, hugging her from behind. She looked in the mirror at them both and smiled at her reflection, loving the way they just looked absolutely made for each other.

"I like your parents." She told him, turning around to wrap her hands around his waist as well.

"We like you too!" They heard be called up the stairs.

"_Mum!_ Go away!" James yelled at his mother who laughed in response.

"Okay… I'll just give your hot chocolates to Sirius… I'm sure he won't mind, will you love?"

"Not at all!" Sirius said loudly, laughing.

Lily grinned at James, then ran out the door. He followed her, and they bounded down the stairs quickly. She looked at him. Now where do they go?

"Left." James said, and she turned left. She saw what looked like an office, then they passed by what looked like a living room.

"Left again." He told her. She turned left, and gasped. They were standing in the doorway of a giant dining room. The long wooden table had to hold at least thirty people, if not more. There was a gigantic glittering chandelier on the ceiling and the huge fireplace was crackling, ash wisps flying from it.

Mrs Potter looked up from levitating two large mugs on the table. She smiled at them both.

"Take a seat, yes there you go. Charlus and I will drink in the kitchen." Then she exited the dining room from a different place that James and Lily had entered; a whisper of a smile on her face as she turned around once more before leaving to look at her son and his girlfriend sitting together.

Lily gawped at the place. She turned to face James who rolled his eyes. She hit him on the chest as he was taking a sip.

"Whoa careful! I could've spilled this all over myself!" He said.

"Why didn't you ever tell me about this?" She asked, laughing.

"About what?" He said, although he obviously knew what she was talking about.

She waved her arms around the room. "This! It's kind of hard to miss isn't it?" She said sarcastically.

"Tons of people have a dining room Lily." He said calmly.

Sirius snorted into his hot chocolate.

"Oh you know what I mean. This whole house! It shouldn't even be called a house, it's like an insult to its greatness!" She said, sighing dramatically at him. James, Sirius and Marlene rolled their eyes and chuckled. Jane and Remus-who were both half bloods-knew this place was huge but weren't quite as shocked as Lily was, so they nodded in agreement, but were still chuckling at her awed expression.

"I am that different from all of you?" She asked honestly.

"Pretty much!" Sirius said, then he got up. "Hey, I've an idea… wait here." He ran into where Dorea had gone, then came back moments later with a bag of Drooble's Double-Size Marshmallows. "Let's play the marshmallow game!"

"I'm in!" Lily said, before even asking what the marshmallow game was. She regretted it when James and Marlene groaned in unison and Sirius grinned at her.

"What's the marshmallow game?" Jane asked cautiously.

"Well, it's a _fascinating_ game where-"

"You shove as many marshmallows in your mouth as you can. Last one to puke wins." Marlene cut Sirius off. He glared at her as Lily cupped a hand to her mouth, laughing.

"Oh my god! We used to play that at camp! I was the all-time champion." She said smugly, puffing out her chest.

Sirius grinned wickedly at her. "Muggle marshmallows, I'll bet. How cute."

"Okay, what is with everyone making fun of Muggles lately?" Lily asked desperately as they all laughed.

"Lil, Muggle marshmallows are different. You know why they're called Double-Size Marshmallows I assume?" James said.

Lily shrugged. "Well sure. When they hit hot water they turn two times their regular size."

"Not just hot water." He corrected her, chuckling. "When they touch any form of liquid at all. E.g., saliva."

Jane and Remus looked at each other then laughed, understanding. Was Lily the only one who didn't understand what they were talking about?

"It's an _extremely_ old pureblood game. Parents don't like kids playing it because it can be dangerous, but my granddad told me its loads of fun. I've never played of course, but I want to be able to say I have. I'm in." Marlene said.

"Why is it so dangerous? At camp you had to put at least like ten in your mouth before you started feeling your gag reflex. By then, only stupid people kept going, most people stop after they feel it." Lily said.

"Love," James said, holding her shoulders and turning her to face him. "Double Size Marshmallows. That grow when you put them in your mouth. What part of this are you not understanding?"

Lily laughed, finally understanding. "Sounds like fun." She shrugged, trying to look oblivious to the obvious challenge that now lay in front of her.

"There we go!" Sirius said, ripping open the pack of marshmallows. "We've got Mars bar, Lily petal… have we got you Vajay-jane?" Sirius said, turning to Jane.

Jane spat out her hot chocolate on to the table, howling. "Sirius!" She cried, wiping her mouth. "You crazy git!"

They were all laughing crazily, Jane trying to wipe up her mess with a napkin.

"I'm taking that as I yes. Boys, you in?" Sirius asked.

"That's what she said!" Marlene yelled pointing wildly at Sirius. They all hooted with laughter again. They all had the giggles, and were laughing at the stupidest things now.

"Okay okay, I'm playing." James said, red in the face.

"Me too." Remus agreed, breathless from laughing so hard.

"Right. We'll all put the first one in together, ready?" Sirius said, grabbing a marshmallow.

"Wait, should we really be doing this is here?" Remus said, looking around the obviously expensive things that surrounded them. James agreed, and soon they were all piling on their coats and mittens, and moving the party outside.

"Awesome, let's start." James said, tossing marshmallows to each one of his friends. Jane missed hers, and it hit the frost-covered ground. It blew up double times it's size and Lily imagined having that in her cheeks, ten times over and over. She shuddered, but not from the cold.

"No backing out okay? Once we've started, we're finishing until every last person pukes. Those are the rules." Sirius said sternly.

"Woah, woah!" Jane said, putting her hands up. "Lily said we could stop when we felt like we were about to throw up!"

"That's Muggle version Jane." Sirius said, rolling his eyes. "Muggles are pussies."

Lily scoffed at this and threw her marshmallow at him. He laughed, shoving it in his mouth and chewing it slowly, watching her like a lion waiting to pounce on its prey. She ignored the look, knowing he was trying to make her feel intimidated and be nervous about the marshmallows. She wasn't.

"I know, but how about we mix them together?" Jane went on. "Like a half-blood." She grinned at Remus.

Sirius considered this, putting a hand to his chin for effect. "Yeah… I like it. We're like, inventing a whole new version."

Now having Sirius' approval, Jane grinned and shoved the first marshmallow in her mouth, starting the game. Everyone else followed suit quickly, feeling their cheeks puff up as the marshmallow grew. Marlene spat hers out because she laughed too hard.

"You're out al'fredy!" Sirius yelled at her through his marshmallow.

"No! I just laughed okay? I get to start again because we were only on the first!" Then she shoved two into her mouth and grinned at Sirius with puffy cheeks.

Everyone else shoved another into their mouth and looked around to see if anyone was gagging yet. They weren't, so Lily grabbed a third. As she felt this one expand, she felt her stomach clench up, but she pushed the marshmallow into her cheek, ignoring it. Everyone else grabbed a third as well.

Remus put a hand to his mouth, pushing back in the one that threated to fall out.

"Ha ha! Quitting al'fredy Remush?" Lily said through her marshmallows. She sounded absolutely crazy so he laughed and spat out his marshmallows onto the grass.

He wiped his mouth and grimaced. "That was disgusting."

"I'm sho goin' ta win." Lily said. She picked up two marshmallows because she was feeling confident, and stuffed them in her mouth. Okay no more talking, but she could still do it. Sirius stepped up to the challenge and shoved in two marshmallows as well, while Jane, Marlene and James shoved in one. As they blew up, Jane spat hers out, gagging.

"Ew. I think I just vomited a little." She said, wiping her mouth.

Lily shoved in one, so did Sirius. James felt left out so he shoved in two this time, making Marlene the only one behind by one. They all waited as the marshmallows blew up and looked at each other, seeing who would burst first.

Sirius took another, as did Lily and James. Marlene took one a little hesitantly, pushed it in slowly, then shook her head wildly as she spat them out onto the grass.

"Absolutely disgusting." She decided, laughing and spitting on the ground.

Now it was only Lily, James and Sirius that rested with seven marshmallows each. They looked at each other, wondering who would take the next one.

James obliged and dug his hand into the sack, opening his mouth wide and shoving it in. They watched as his eyes widened, and his back curled. He then vomited on the grass, spraying goo-covered marshmallows all over the place. He coughed and sputtered while Remus thumped him on the back. He took a huge swallow of air, then grinned wickedly at Sirius and Lily.

"Who's next?" He asked, out of breath, but desperate for revenge. They wouldn't be able to take another and he knew it. Sirius pointed to Lily and she hesitated. She didn't want Sirius to know she was scared, but after seeing James, she was. She couldn't let Sirius know that though, so she shoved an eigth marshmallow in, feeling it expand.

She felt the familiar feel of vomit, and she worked to keep it down. She was trying so hard, that when she heard a car door slam, she jumped, and out came her breakfast with it.

She moaned in defeat and because her stomach hurt, and Sirius put his hands up in the air in victory. Lily shook her head crazily, unable to speak because her stomach hurt so much.

"You don't win yet Sirius. She had one more than you in her mouth before she threw up. One more and you win!" Marlene said, while James got up to look and see who's car door had slammed. He walked around the huge trees that were blocking their view form the house so James' parents wouldn't get angry with them, and his eyes widened when he saw who was there.

**AN: I will be writing a lot about their Christmas Holidays and so I hope you liked this, for there will be more crazy games, giggles, and pranks soon! Review it if you liked it please? Thanks!**

**-Taylor :)**


	40. Avril Potter

"Aunt Linda! Uncle Gregory!" James yelled. The other teenagers got up, Sirius' mouth still full of marshmallows, Lily was grinning at him wickedly. He narrowed his eyes at her. There was no way he was going to lose this. He only needed one more marshmallow and he would win.

"What are you doing here?" James said as he motioned for his friends to follow him down the long driveway.

"Avril!" He then yelled, surprised, running now. Lily saw a girl about her age step out from the car, and she turned at the sound of her name. She had the signature Potter black hair, but it was not messy or tangled; quite the opposite really. It was wavy and it looked very shiny and healthy, running down her back effortlessly. Lily, whose hair was naturally straight, felt a twinge of jealousy, as she'd always wished to have wavy hair like that. As the girl turned around fully, Lily saw she had a large purple streak in her hair too. Surprisingly (she had never been one to like streaks, especially those of crazy colours), Lily thought she pulled off the look brilliantly.

She heard Sirius spit out the marshmallows and she turned to him, grinning. He wasn't looking at her though; he was staring at this new girl, jaw dropped open, eyes wide. Then, he whistled appreciatively at her, making Lily roll her eyes. Honestly, boys were so hormone-controlled. She heard an impatient sigh come from Marlene and saw her rolling he eyes as well, face twisted into one of disgust.

"See something you like, Sirius?" Remus teased him, pushing his shoulder. Sirius ignored him and continued staring at the girl, looking up and down her body. She was wearing a large navy blue jumper that said _Calgary _on it and acid washed skinny jeans that were ripped in the knee.

"James!" She cried, running up to meet him. They hugged and pulled apart, grinning.

"My god, how long has it been? You look so…" He paused, staring at this girl. "_different_." James said finally, running a hand nervously through his hair. Lily chuckled quietly. Her boyfriend often couldn't find the right words to say in certain situations.

The girl—_Avril_ did he say her name was?—grinned and twirled around, arms out. "I'm going to take that as a compliment." She said, flashing a full set of perfect white teeth.

The five teenagers that stood on the driveway gawped. They were far away, but they could still hear and see everything that was happening, and they definitely heard something different there.

"Was that an… _American_ accent?" Jane said to her friends, awe-struck. They all nodded; they had heard the same thing too. They waited as James said hello to his Aunt and Uncle and invited them to go inside, his parents were in the kitchen, and he told Avril to follow him.

"There are some people you've got to meet." He told her excitedly. She nodded and walked over to the five seventh years that were watching her in curiosity.

"Hello." The girl said politely to them all. They simply stared, and James broke the silence by chuckling.

"They're weirdos sometimes, but they're my weirdos." He told her. At this Lily grinned.

"Yes, that's right. Meet Weirdo #1." She gestured to Sirius, who shouted "_Oi!"_ in protest.

"I'm Lily." She said, holding out her hand to the girl.

"Avril." The girl smiled. So Lily _had_ heard James right. She'd never heard of anyone with this name in her life.

"Pretty name. Unusual." Lily remarked.

"Is it?" The girl said, tilting her head to one side. "Maybe here." She shrugged.

"Er, yeah, we noticed you're American." Lily said, gesturing to her friends who smiled at Avril in response, waving and saying hellos. The girl laughed a melodic laugh.

"I'm not American." She told them. They all looked at her dubiously, and she laughed again, pointing to her sweatshirt.

"Calgary." She said. They all just looked at each other while James was grinning at them all. Avril frowned. "You've never heard of Calgary?"

They all shook their heads at her.

"Calgary, Alberta." She prompted. They all shrugged in response, still not understanding where she came from. She _sounded_ like an American. "Calgary, Alberta, _Canada_?" She said tentatively.

"Ohh!" They all said, having heard of that country before.

"Canada, really? How are you related to James?" Remus asked. "Oh, I'm Remus by the way." He outstretched his hand, which she took with a smile.

"Hey Remus." She said. "And my family moved from England long ago; wanted to try something new. It was my great-grandparents who decided to, and now my family is settled in Canada. The only thing that sucks is that the rest of my ginormous family," She waved her hands in a huge circle for emphasis on how big her family really was. "Lives in the U.K. We don't usually visit much, but Aunt Dorea invited me to stay for the Break, and I begged my parents to come. They're leaving soon though I think." She said to James, who nodded. "So now I'm staying here for the Christmas Break! Are you all as well?" She asked them all.

"Yes we are. I'm Jane." Jane said, walking up to her and shaking her hand. "And by the way, I _love_ your hair." She told her. Avril smiled and touched a hand to her head.

"Thanks, it's new. Not sure if I like it or not, I had blue before." She explained, pointing to her streak.

"Well, I second Jane's opinion. Marlene." Marlene said, changing the frown that had been on her face before to a smile. Avril shook her hand as well, smiling, then she turned to Sirius.

"So you must be Weirdo #1." She said, grinning.

"The one and only." He chuckled. "But seriously, my name's Sirius."

"Seriously Sirius." Avril laughed, taking his hand. She shook it, but he bent down at kissed it instead. "Charming." She chuckled, shaking her head at his oddness.

"Well now that you've met the mates and dates of James Potter's _brilliant_ life, how about we take your things upstairs?" He said, turning around looking for her suitcases. He saw his Uncle and Aunt emerging from his house, hugging their relatives goodbye and promising to see each other again soon. They said goodbye to James and Avril, saying polite hellos to James' friends, and then got in the car and drove away.

"Where's my favourite niece?" Charlus called out, walking out the front door and onto the porch. The seven teenagers walked over to the house and watched as Avril said hello to her Aunt and Uncle.

"Your things are inside love, in your room. You _do_ remember where that is don't you? Haven't been here in what, five years? It's insulting. Don't you love us?" Charlus said, looking like he was about to start crying. Avril laughed and hugged him.

"I would _live_ here if I could Uncle Charlie." She said, using a nickname for her Uncle. The teenagers walked into the house and took off their mitts, hats and coats.

"Blimey Avril, aren't you freezing?" Remus asked, as she kicked off her boots. Avril laughed and shook her head, and Sirius scoffed at Remus.

"Well _duh_ Remus! Everyone knows the Canadians live in igloos!" He said to his best friend.

Avril and James looked at each other for a second, then burst out into howls of laughter. The other teenagers stood and looked around awkwardly as the cousins leaned on each other for support.

"Oh Merlin I didn't…" She laughed again, then straightened up, wiping a tear from her eye. She worked to swallow her smile, and instead put her nose high up in the air, looking down on them. "Yes sah, just like the _Eenglish_ drink tea and eat crumpets every day." She said, holding out her pinkie and doing a fairly ridiculous attempt at an English accent.

"Wait, you're trying to tell me you _don't_ all live in igloos?" Sirius asked, hanging up his coat.

Avril rolled her eyes. "No Sirius, we don't all live in igloos. The weather conditions are just a little colder than they are here. However," She said, wrapping her arms around her frame. "It's much damper here. Really penetrates the clothing." She shivered. Then she walked into the living room and sat by the fire. Every one followed her, noticing that she was very at home in this house.

"Hey, wanna see something cool? Anybody got some Drooble's Double-Size Marshmallows?" She asked them. The six teenagers all looked at each other and started laughing.

"Yeah, let me just check. I think we _might_ just have some." James said sarcastically as he got up and was soon back, holding the second pack of Drooble's Double-Size Marshmallows in his hand.

"Cool, now watch. You know when they touch liquid they turn double the size, hence _the name_?" She asked. They all nodded, wondering where this was going. "Well, in the summer when we go camping we roast marshmallows by the fire, not sure if you do that here but anyways, when they touch fire they don't grow twice their size. Nah, they grow _triple_ and sometimes even _quadruple_ times their size!" She said, grabbing her wand from her back pocket and shoving a marshmallow on the end. She put it by the fire and they watched as the marshmallow expanded. It grew and it grew until it seemed impossible that a marshmallow could grow any bigger, and then it grew some more.

Finally, by the time she pulled her wand out of the fire, the marshmallow was the size of a basketball. Lily remarked this and they all stared at her, not understanding, before Sirius mumbled to Avril, "_Muggles_."

"So wait, Lily is a Muggle-born," Avril said. Lily was surprised Avril remembered her name. "Sirius, you're a… pureblood?" She asked him. He nodded. "Remus, Marlene, Jane you guys are…?" She asked.

"Half-blood." Jane and Remus answered together.

"Pureblood." Marlene told her.

"Alright, awesome!" Avril said, taking a bite of her enormous marshmallow.

"Well, tell us some more about yourself Avril!" Jane chided, putting her chin in her hands.

Avril laughed. "I'm not very interesting. I'd like to get to know more about you all! Hey, how about we play Truth or Dare?" She suggested. "I can learn loads about you guys from that!"

Everyone agreed, figuring it would just be a simple game of Truth or Dare.

"Right, so I hope it's the same here and if it's not, we're playing the Canadian way." Avril told them seriously. They all laughed and agreed again and Avril grinned. "Awesome. Rules hmm… well, you can't change your mind. Once you've said truth, you are committed to answering a truth. Same goes for dares. As well, if you lie or fail to do a dare… well, don't. I'm not going to tell you what'll happen, but it's not pleasant." She got a glimmer of wickedness in her eyes, before smiling again at them sweetly. "You all up to it?"

They hesitantly said yes, and soon the game was beginning.

**AN: Just thought I would include a small Canadian character for the Christmas Holidays! Show some country pride lol. Thanks for reading and please review if you liked it; it really makes me smile and it makes me post new chapters sooner! Thanks!**

**-Taylor :)**


	41. Merlin's Trousers!

"The person with the longest last name goes first." Avril decided. They all looked at her curiously, wondering why she had come up with such a random rule, but thought.

"Well that would be… Elizabeth. Jane Elizabeth, you go first!" Lily said. Jane laughed and thought for a moment, before looking to Avril and asking "Truth or Dare?"

"Truth, just so you can get to know me." Avril shrugged.

"Okay… this is such a lame question but what school to you go to? Obviously they have wizarding schools in Canada right?" She asked thoughtfully.

"No, it's a good question!" Avril assured her. "Yes, my school's name is—don't laugh—Poudlard. It's in Toronto." She said. "It's extremely far away from where I live, but there's only two wizarding schools in Canada. It's very different from Hogwarts though, as I've heard stories about it from James."

James nodded. "It's true; her school is so bizarre. Their houses aren't named after the founders, as there were only two founders—twin brothers named Tim and Horton—so their houses are named after hockey teams!" He said, shaking his head.

"It's true. We take our hockey very seriously in Canada." Avril said mock-earnestly, laughing.

"What's hockey?" Sirius asked curiously. Avril's face lighted up in a grin.

"I'll show you later." She promised him, smirking. He grinned back like an idiot.

"What happened to our game of truth or dare?" Marlene interrupted them rather adruptly.

"You're right, sorry. Um… Lily!" Avril said, picking the redhead to be next. "Truth or Dare?"

"Truth." Lily said, following suit.

"Why in Merlin's name are you dating _James?" _She snickered, sticking a finger on her tongue and pretending to vomit. Everyone laughed but James, who pushed his cousin and rolled his eyes.

"You suck Avril." He told her. Her hazel eyes glittered with laughter at her cousin, and looked to Lily expectantly.

"Because I love him." She said simply. Avril stopped grinning at James and looked at Lily seriously, without saying anything. Everyone stopped laughing as Avril looked to Lily, then to James.

"_Love_, really?" She mused, a small mysterious smile tugging at her lips.

James chuckled nervously. "Er, yeah… Is that a problem or something?" He said, smiling anxiously.

"Well _love_ usually means you can see yourself spending your entire life together…" She looked at Lily. "You guys are only seventeen."

Lily laughed nervously, wanting to get off this topic, but James frowned.

"But I _do_ want to spend my whole life with Lily." He said quietly, as everyone stared at him. He looked up to Avril, who was looking at him uncertainly, then he looked to Lily.

She looked at him and prayed he was good at mindreading. _James, let's get off this topic. _She thought, hoping it would work.

It didn't work.

"Er- actually Lil, can I see you for a sec?" James asked, standing up. Lily nodded and got up from the floor, dusting off her jeans.

"Be back soon." Lily told her friends, who were watching her closely.

The five teenagers that rested sat in silence, until Avril interrupted it.

"Well, let's continue the game. Since Lily left without asking a question, the person to the right goes next. That's you Sirius." She told him, smiling.

"Alright, Avril." He said, looking at her intently. She grinned. "Truth or Dare?"

"Truth." She said, still smiling her perfect smile at Sirius.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" He asked her. It was a perfectly acceptable question that wouldn't have meant anything had anyone else asked. But since it was Sirius asking, with his teasing eyes and smirk he probably practiced in the mirror every morning, it turned into a flirting question which was bound to go somewhere.

Avril raised her eyebrows at him, then smirked back.

"No, I don't actually." She said. Sirius looked mock-affronted, which made Avril giggle.

"Why not? A pretty girl like you has _got_ to have a couple admirers here and there." He told her, grinning.

"Here and there…" She repeated, a smile growing on her face. "There, yes I do. They're all jerks though." She frowned. "But here…" She paused looking at him and smiling again. "Don't know if anyone admires me _here_."

"How old did you say you were again?" Marlene interrupted their conversation, more than a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"Seventeen. Same as you all, right?" She asked, looking around. Everybody nodded, or said they were turning seventeen soon, but Sirius looked at Marlene curiously. She sounded almost… pissed off.

"Well, my turn again." Avril said, then turned to Marlene. "Truth or Dare Marlene?"

"Truth." Marlene answered.

"Alright… okay, if you could kiss one of these two guys who would you choose?" She asked.

Marlene looked to Jane and Remus and laughed. "Well, since I don't want Jane to murder me for choosing her boyfriend, I guess Sirius." She said, shrugging her shoulders.

Avril grinned at this new information, and turned to Remus and Jane. "You two are dating? I was _just_ about to suggest you two should! I hardly even know you and you guys look perfect together." She said, smiling.

Jane grabbed Remus' hand and smiled at him adoringly.

"Ha ha." Avril laughed, looking at Sirius and Marlene. "If you two dated that'd be so cool. Because they're dating, and Lily and James are dating… you guys could go on triple dates!" She joked, grinning.

Nobody laughed with her, and she noticed.

"Um, sorry. It was funnier in my head." She said lamely, wondering if she had said something wrong.

"Don't worry about it, it's not that." Remus assured her quietly, staring at his two friends as they sat in awkward silence.

"Yeah, it's just… well, can I tell her guys?" Jane asked them, not wanting to tell if they didn't want her to. They nodded so Jane continued. "Er, they _did _date. They just broke up at the beginning of this month."

Avril's jaw dropped. "You're kidding. But you guys seem so comfortable around each other! I haven't talked to any of my ex-boyfriends since we broke up!" She told them.

Neither Sirius nor Marlene had anything to say to that so they just shrugged and looked down.

"It's your turn Marlene." Sirius prompted her awkwardly.

"Right." She said distractedly. "Sirius. Truth or Dare?"

"Truth."

"Right." She said again. "Er, copying Avril, if you could kiss one of the girls here, who would you kiss?" She asked, trying to sound nonchalant but not exactly succeeding.

Sirius was quiet for a second. "Avril." He said, and Avril grinned at him. He grinned back at her, but saw Marlene frowning from the corner of his eye. He didn't dare look at her, but chose to ask her the next question.

"Marlene, Truth or Dare?"

"Truth."

"If you could kiss me right now would you?" He asked, taking a leap of faith. If he hadn't known any better, Marlene looked almost jealous of the grins he was throwing Avril. But that wasn't possible… was it?

"N-no." She stuttered, not meeting his eyes. Suddenly a bucket of water came out of nowhere and dumped water on her head, drenching her and only her. She screamed, demanding between curses what was going on.

"You must have lied! You've got to say the truth for it to stop!" Avril yelled through Marlene screams, as the bucket's never-ending supply of water dumped over her head again and again.

"Yes! Yes I want to kiss you Sirius!" She screamed. The bucket disappeared with a pop, and Avril grimaced at her apologetically.

"Sorry about that. I did warn you though." She said. Marlene nodded and got up, shaking her hands. Her hair was drenched from top to bottom, her shoulders were soaked and it looked like she had wet her pants. Great.

Marlene stood, looking down on them. "I'm going to go change." She turned to leave, then paused and turned back to them slowly. "Er, Sirius can you come?" She asked quietly.

Sirius got up and followed her out of the room, and suddenly their group that was once seven was now three.

"Well then." Avril said, clapping her hands together. "This game is turning out marvelously."

"I guess it's my turn because I'm on Marlene's right." Remus said, not wanting Avril to feel bad that her game was turning out to be so lousy. "So, Avril, tell us more about you school."

"Bo-ring!" She sang, grinning, obviously in better spirits now. "You didn't as if I wanted a Truth or Dare!"

"You're right. I guess everyone was picking truth so I just thought you would keep going…"

"Nah, I'm sick of truths. Look where they've gotten us." She jerked her thumb to the door that four members of the game had exited by in the past ten minutes. "So Dare. Give me the worst you've got."

Remus rubbed his hands together and smirked. "Go eavesdrop on Lily and James' conversation." He said tauntingly.

Jane gasped. "Remus! That's terrible, what if they're talking about something they don't want anyone else to hear?"

"Then they probably should've thought about using _Mufliato._" Avril said, an evil glint in her eye. "I think it's a fabulous idea. They said they'd be back in a couple minutes, and it's been way longer than that." Avril got up, dusting her pajama pants. "I'll be back soon." She saluted to them, then left by the door everyone else had used.

She knew this house inside out, and inhaled the scent of her Aunt's cooking as she passed the kitchens. She saw her Uncle working in his office quietly, so she tiptoed past that room, as she and James would always do. She bounded up the stairs, then walked slowly and quietly down the hallways, not wanting to give herself away.

She got to the three guest rooms, and saw the one with "Lily" written on the front. Surprisingly, the door was ajar.

"I can't believe we just did that." She heard Lily say from inside the room. Avril sat down on the ground beside the door softly, not needing to press her ear up to the door to hear them.

"Neither can I. I mean, I've always wanted to, but I never realized you wanted to as well." James said, chuckling nervously. She could practically see him rubbign a nervous hand through his tangles locks and Avril rolled her eyes. But as the words connected with her brain, she raised an eyebrow at their word choices. Were they talking about what she thought they were talking about? She shook her head; she always jumped to the worst possible conclusions.

"What will we tell our friends?"

"Who said they have to know anything about it?" James said, and Lily laughed.

"Let's just pray nobody asks a question about it during truth." Lily joked. Avril widened her eyes. This certainly sounded a lot like what she thought it did.

"Who even asks questions about those kinds of things, Lily?" James asked her teasingly.

"Crazy Canadians like someone?" Lily joked. Avril smiled despite the situation, loving the impression she'd made on Lily. She'd never liked being someone like everyone else; she'd rather be known as crazy than normal. She guessed she was just weird like that.

"Yeah well, if anyone approaches the subject, I'll change it." James promised.

To her horror, Avril heard the bed creak as two pairs of feet got up off the same bed together.

_They were only sitting on the bed together, Avril. _She told herself, standing up quietly.

"Wait, where did I put my trousers?" She heard Lily say.

Avril put both hands over her mouth and ran quickly and quietly back down the hallways and down the stairs. She caught her breath as she reached the bottom of the stairs.

_"_What is going _on?" _She muttered under her breath, thinking of any other possible explanations for what she had just heard. She could think of tons, before Lily had said that one sentence that changed everything.

Where did I put my trousers.

_Her trousers._

Merlin, there was no other possible explanation for this.

**AN: As usual, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! On another note, POTTERMORE IS FINALLY OPEN. If you guys want to add me feel welcome to! My username is DragonPurple9203. I know, you're all jealous of my amazing username. I'M A HUFFLEPUFF. That is so weird if you would've asked me before what house do you least think you'll be in I would've said Hufflepuff so I am surprised. But a nice surprised!**

**Anyhow, thanks again for reading and please you guys, _please_ i'm begging for you to review. It takes less than twenty seconds and it makes my day. Just think: you made a girl smile today if you write me a review!**

**-Taylor :)**


	42. The Bucket

**AN: Just a short thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter! Hope everyone enjoys this one and if you did, review! :)**

Marlene was doing everything she could to avoid his gaze. He knew this house inside-out by now, and so he knew the room he wanted to go to.

"This way." He said, grabbing the crook of her elbow. A jolt of electricity flew through his fingers as it did every time he touched her. He wondered if she felt the same way.

"No, _this _way." She argued, pulling her elbow out of his reach and walking up the grand staircase.

"Marlene you don't know this house." He told her, somewhat annoyed.

"I think I know where my room is, thanks very much." She said, ignoring him and continuing to walk up the staircase two stairs at a time.

Sirius raised an eyebrow curiously. "We're going to your _room?_"

She turned around to look at him and rolled her eyes over-dramatically. "I need to _change_." She said, gesturing to her clothes that were soaked.

"And… you want me to come?" He asked cautiously. He wasn't exactly sure what was happening, so he was treading this water _very_ carefully.

"Oh honestly Sirius, you'll just sit outside." She sighed, turning a corner, then finally making it to her room. "Just one second." She muttered to him. He nodded and leaned against the wall, waiting. Before he knew it she was stepping out of her room, shutting the door behind her softly, dry as before.

"So, you wanted to talk because…?" He started, leading her down the staircase.

"Er, I guess I just wanted to say… er- I dunno." She sighed lamely. She didn't know what she had wanted to say to him, but she knew she had wanted him to come for some reason.

Now it was his turn to sigh. "Marlene, do you… still fancy me?" He asked tentatively.

She let out a breath through her nose and forced herself to chuckle. "S'pose you could say that." She said, figuring she might as well lay all the cards down on the table.

He frowned in confusion. "But _you _broke up with _me_." He said, pointing to her, then to himself.

"Or _you_ kissed a girl while _we_ were still dating." She said sarcastically, then turned serious. "It's not like I really had the choice."

"But you did." He argued immediately. "You couldn't have just forgiven me?"

"Not after what you did." She said stubbornly, still following him. "Where are we going anyhow?"

"Special place." He muttered. "Anyways, what do you mean 'not after what I did'?" He asked.

She snorted. "What part exactly of that are you not getting?"

"Well, I know what I did was wrong and all, but aren't relationships supposed to be about trust and forgiveness and all that crap?" He said, forcing himself not to roll his eyes.

"Forgiveness sure, to some extent. But you just said the magic word Sirius." She looked to him, raising an eyebrow. "Trust." She told him. He grimaced, but she ignored this, going on. "I trusted you. I really did, despite what everyone told me. And then after you walked all over that, I'm supposed to forgive you?"

"But we've been through all this before Marlene." He said, pausing. They had both stopped walking in the middle of the enormous hallway and were now facing each other. "I apologize; you don't forgive me. What else am I supposed to do?" He asked exasperatedly.

"That's just the thing Sirius." She said with a shrewd look. "Some things you just can't repair like that." She paused, looking into his eyes. "And I do forgive you... sort of. I just not longer trust you."

"Trust and forgiveness are the same thing." He said.

"They're not." She argued.

"But they _are_." He said, stronger now. He moved closer to her and she moved back. He continued edging towards her and she continued edging backwards until her back hit the wall. She pressed her hands against the cool wall, relishing the calm it had spread over her.

"I thought I loved you." She said.

"You did." He told her, voice huskier than usual.

She chuckled darkly. "That's where you're wrong Sirius."

He raised his eyebrows questionably, but still sexily. She was aware of the fact that his face was inches from hers, and their bodies were inches from touching.

"You know," He started, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. She tried to ignore her heart beating madly against her ribcage and prayed he couldn't hear it. "No matter how long it has been, there will always be times when I think of you and suddenly it gets harder to breathe."

Her breath hitched in her throat as his words travelled through her ear and into her brain, where she processed what he was telling her.

"D'you mean to tell me…" She started dumbly, before he cut her off.

"That I still fancy you? Well I would've thought that much would have been obvious by now Marlene."

"You'd rather kiss Avril." She said, unable to hide the disappointment in her voice. She cringed as a hint of accusation slid into there as well. She was not longer his girlfriend; she couldn't control him or accuse him for fancying other girls. Not when she was dating some other guy…

_Shawn. _She thought dazedly, feeling Sirius' warm breath on her cheek.

"Nah, I wouldn't." He argued, voice even huskier than before. He ran a finger down her cheek, touch softer than a feather.

"You didn't get drenched with water earlier." She reminded him. They were silent for a while, staring into each other's eyes.

"Ask me again. Who I would rather kiss." He told her seriously.

"Erm, alright." She said, more than a tiny bit flustered. "Would you rather kiss me or Avril?" She asked weakly, staring into those ice blue-grey eyes that somehow seemed to be cold and warm at the same time.

"Avril." He said, then got quenched with water seconds later. He sputtered unattractively for a few seconds, and she had to admit; it was a relief he did because she wasn't sure how much longer her self-control could last with this Greek god standing before her. She let her gaze drop to his body for the first time that day, seeing that he was wearing a form fitting navy blue polo shirt, and black jeans with his favourite red Converse sneakers. He looked _extremely_ fit, and she had to pull her eyes away from his body, reminding herself how embarrassing it would be if she were ever caught ogling him like that.

He flipped his hair to one side, letting it stick there to the side and out of his eyes. He put a hand to the wall, leaning on it. His forearm centimetres away from her, she saw muscle definition and couldn't stop herself from touching it. As she ran her fingers over his wrist and forearm, stopping at his elbow, her brain exploded with memories of September. And October. And November. The good times before she had seen him with that girl.

"You're soaked." She smirked, despite the situation. She let her arm fall limply to her side, but never dropped his gaze.

"I am." He agreed. "Tell me Marlene, who would you rather date? Myself, or McKinnon?"

She stopped breathing in that moment. He was still out of breath from sputtering and he was breathing roughly on her face. His breath smelled like cinnamon and subconsciously, she leaned forward.

"Shawn." She said, looking Sirius deep in the eyes. She was prepared to be doused.

Nothing happened though.

She hadn't broken his gaze this whole time and didn't plan on doing it now. But why wasn't she having a bucket of water dumped on her? She wanted to kiss Sirius more than anything in that moment. She had lied… hadn't she?

"You're telling the truth." Sirius muttered, expressionless, water dripping off his chin and onto the floor.

"I didn't realize it." She murmured.

"S'pose it's alright anyways. I can't steal another bloke's girl, much as I might want to." Sirius said, but did not pull away from her. She looked into those familiar blue-grey eyes and smiled warmly.

She leaned forward, and kissed him. He stood for a second, shocked, then kissed her back hesitantly at first, then got stronger and more passionate.

After what seemed like forever but was probably less than thirty seconds, she pulled back, out of breath, then smiled.

"You're smiling." He told her dazedly.

"With relief."

"Relief that…?" He asked confusedly.

"That I can kiss you, and feel nothing but fondness for a good friend."

* * *

><p>"But I can't James."<p>

"'_Can't'"_ is a word for losers Lil. Knock of that T and look what you see." He said, raising her arm with his hand.

She turned her head over her shoulder and grinned at him. "I like that."

He grinned back, pleased with himself. "Thought you might."

"So… I _can _do this." She said unconvincingly, staring at the wall.

"There's the spirit!" James cheered. "Now go. I believe in you."

She breathed in deeply, and slowly exhaled. "Right. You believe in me. And that's all I need to get this. James believes in me. James believes in me." She chanted, closing her eyes.

"Happy memory Lil." He whispered to her.

The room went quiet, and Lily fought for a happy memory.

"_Expecto Patronum!" _She yelled, thrusting her wand to the wall. A non-recognizable burst of silvery vapour shot out of the tip of her wand, but nothing more. She sighed in defeat.

"I'm just not as good as you I guess." She said quietly, sitting down.

"C'mon Lily, you don't really believe that do you?" He said, sitting beside her on her bed.

"Yes." She said, hanging her head, then shrieked as a bucket of water poured over her head, soaking her thoroughly.

"You little sneak!" James cried out, ignoring the fact that his girlfriend was now sopping wet. "You think you're better than me!"

She howled with laughter at the situation. "You caught me okay? But I know you think you're better than me at school too!" She accused him. He shrugged.

"But that's because I am Lil."

She pushed him in the shoulder and got up, flicking her hands at the ground and letting water droplets spray the room.

"Canadians." Lily muttered. She began to peel of her trousers and James—reluctantly—looked away.

"Er, want me to… go or something?" He said uncertainly, pointing to the door.

Lily let out a small sort of chuckle. "No need. It's nothing you haven't seen anyways."

And with that, she continued undressing in front of him.

"Er-Lil?" James said, looking at the wall, then unable to resist, looking back to her in her pants. He was trying to avoid being a pervert but was not exactly succeeding.

"James, really it's no big deal. It's just as if I were in my bathing suit." She laughed, padding over to her closet, wet jeans in hand. She grabbed a pair of new jeans a pulled them on, looking in the mirror. She made a disgusted face at herself and peeled them off, shaking her head.

James laughed. "You are one crazy bird."

She looked over her shoulder at him and smirked. She ran to him and jumped onto the bed beside him, still in her pants but not feeling self-conscious at all.

"But I'm _your_ crazy bird." She said, cuddling up beside him. He sighed with pleasure and wrapped his arms around her tightly, not caring that he was getting wet in the process.

"I love you." She whispered softly, rubbing her thumb over the back of his hand. He looked up to her then, with an unreadable expression.

"_Do_ you love me?" James asked her quietly. She looked at him.

"Yes." She answered, just as softly. He squeezed her hands in his gently. She had grown accustomed to the feel of his hands; rough, calloused, but soft and gentle all the same. If she could pick the perfect hands for her boyfriend she would keep them just the way there were—as she would for everything about James. That's the thing when you love someone—you love them for who they are. You love every perfection and imperfection because to you, that's what makes them perfect.

"Will you do something for me then?" He asked, looking at their intertwined hands. He circled his thumbs in her palms and she squeezed his hands back.

"Anything." She promised him, looking up to his face.

He looked around the room and then looked into her eyes. They were warm and inviting and although he had prepared what he had wanted to say before this, his mind went blank at that moment, and his speech was gone. He said all he could.

"Marry me."


	43. The Proposal

**AN: WOW! You reviewers made my week! I was smiling like an idiot reading them, they were so nice! I'm glad people seemed to have liked the last chapter and I know I know, bad Taylor. Cliffhanger. So, does Lily say yes or no? Well, what are you doing reading this when you can find out?**

"W-what?" Lily asked nervously. James didn't answer, knowing she had heard him. He would just wait.

"You're joking right?" She asked.

He winced. "Not exactly."

"B-but James! This is… this is mental!" She laughed another nervous laugh. "We've only been dating for 4 months!"

"That's a third of a year Lily." He reminded her quickly, as if he had done the mental calculations in his head beforehand. She wouldn't have put it past him.

"James." She said forcefully. He was watching her with an unreadable expression on his face. She took this as a sign to keep going. "James! Don't you see how utterly bizarre this is for me?"

"To be completely honest, no. You said you loved me." He said.

"And I do!" She let out a nervous laugh, and took his hands, squeezing them tightly. "I really do James!"

"Then why won't you marry me? I'm not saying we have to do it tomorrow! We can do it whenever you like! I just…" He trailed off, stepping down from the bed. She stayed there, watching him in silence—or was it shock? He reached into his pocket and took out a small black box. She gaped at it.

"James…" She warned as he got down on one knee. She squeezed her eyes shut. "This is a dream. This is just a crazy dream and when I wake up I'll be in bed." She waited, then opened one eye tentatively. He smirked at her and she groaned.

"Lil, I'm not asking for your hand in marriage." He gave her another half-smirk. She had to look away. This was not happening. "All this is, is a… promise." He said, clicking the box open.

It was tiny. It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. It sat perfectly in its tiny black box like a beacon of light on a dark night, positively glowing. It sat there simply, and she instinctively leaned forward for a better look at it.

"It's beautiful James." She said quietly.

He closed the box shut and in one swift movement, he was back to sitting next to her.

"Less formal." He decided to himself. "As I was saying, this isn't a marriage ring, Lil. I mean, it _can _be if you want it to be, but it doesn't have to be if you don't. Just like me. I can be anything you want me to be." He said.

"I want you to be James." She murmured.

He chuckled. "Yes, well I'd certainly hope so. I meant, I could be whatever you want me to be: husband, boyfriend, friend… I'll be whatever as long as you're there. All I know is I can't see myself sharing my life with anyone else."

Her eyes filled with tears. That had to be the most sincere and lovely thing she'd ever heard. "J-James—"

"Shh…" He said, wrapping his arms around her small frame. "I love you Lil. And I don't want to force you into anything. I just want to make what we have official. It's a promise you'll always stay true to me."

She looked up to him then. "I-I would never—"

"I know you wouldn't Silly Lily." He chuckled into her hair. "But like I said, I just want to make what we have official. It's a reminder that I always love you, and always _will _love you, no matter where I might be."

She smiled a watery smile. "I love you."

He clicked the box open and put it into her small hands. She took a deep breath, then picked up the ring. She slid it onto her ring finger, but on the right hand.

"Er-Lil…" He started. She cut him off with her hand—coincidentally, the one with the small ring on it.

"We're not married. So it doesn't go on the left hand." She explained. "This is a promise to you that I will never leave you. I have every intention of staying with you James… and although it's crazy to think so, I feel like I want to spend every single day of my life with you."

"It's not crazy." James murmured into her ear, leaning down. He kissed her, wiping the tears from her cheeks as he did so. She kissed him back tenderly, and he grabbed her right hand, thumb running across the small diamond that had cost him a fortune. He didn't care. It was worth every galleon to see her face light up like that. He was sure he would never ever forget this moment. "Happy early Christmas Lil."

**Another AN: As usual, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I really liked writing it! Again, as usual, if you did like it, please _please_ review! It's a small thing but it makes me so happy to know there are people out there who are liking this story. Thanks for reading!**

**-Taylor :)**


	44. Chistmas

**AN: Warning, this chapter is by far the longest I've ever written. Just a thanks to all my supportive reviewers, you guys have no idea how happy you all make me feel. So without further ado, I give you, CHRISTMAS.**

"WAKE UP!"

"Huh, whozzat?"

"LILIAN MARIE EVANS GET UP RIGHT NOW!"

Lily covered her face with her pillow, moaning. What time was it?

"IT'S CHRISTMAS SO GET UP!"

She knew what day it was. She wasn't stupid.

"I know but I'm tiiiireeeddd!" She moaned into her pillow. They had all stayed up until the wee hours of the morning last night

Sirius mumbled something that she couldn't hear, but sounded suspiciously like "James…"

She raised and eyebrow curiously, but stayed where she was.

"Right mate. Sorry Lil." She heard. Before she could wonder what was happening, she had two strong arms around her waist. She smiled.

And then he picked her out of her warm bed and into the cold air.

"JAMES!" She screamed, kicking her legs. He lifted her like a baby in his arms.

"Lily, don't make this harder than it is. I'm tired too." He said, grunting. She stopped flailing and let him carry her, cuddling into the warmth of his chest. "Good morning, by the way." He added.

She leaned up to kiss him on the cheek. "Good morning. Merry Christmas." She mumbled.

"To you too." He grinned, walking down the hallway.

"James, I can get down now. I just didn't want to get out of bed." She told him. He tightened his grip on her.

"You're staying with me little lady. All day. That means every hour, every minute, every second." He told her seriously.

She giggled. "Maybe not every second… I've got to go shower."

"Showers can wait." He snorted, still carrying her farther away from her bedroom. "There are more important things to be done first."

"Like what?" She raised an eyebrow.

"_Like presents!"_ Sirius exploded, talking for the first time from in front of them. "I'm so excited!" He said, grinning like a little boy. Then, with a small salute to them both, he ran down the hallway, riding down the rail on the stairs and making a loud thump on the first floor.

"Sirius!" Lily heard Dorea scold him. "What have I told you about thumping and riding down the rail?"

"Sorry Mum, but Lily and James were being slower than slugs and it's _Christmas!_" He pleaded.

James dropped Lily to her feet when they got to the stairs and took her hand instead. His finger instinctively checked for the ring, and he squeezed her hand harder when he found it.

They flew down the stairs, and into the kitchen.

"Good morning Lily, Merry Christmas." Dorea said, turning from her baking for just a second.

"You too!" Lily said, suddenly joyful. It was Chritsmas after all, who couldn't be incredibly happy?

"Who's up for some presents up in HURR?" Avril yelled, jumping down from the counter.

Everybody stared at her. She sighed.

"Who would like to go and open the presents?" She asked politely, in her ridiculously terrible English accent, curtsying slightly.

Everyone laughed and followed her into the dining room, where they saw Remus, Jane and Marlene talking excitedly amongst themselves.

"Oi! Presents!" Sirius yelled at them. They jumped up almost at once.

"Well it's about time, sleepyhead!" Jane said, nudging her best friend in the ribs. "We thought you'd never get up, and then we'd never get to open these presents!"

"Yeah Lil, what'd you do anyway? Stay up all night?" Remus said, light teasing in his voice.

"Oh yeah. I stayed up all night by _myself_..." She said sarcastically. She just couldn't understand why they weren't all tired like her. After all, they had all gone to bed at relatively the same time.

They walked into the living room and gasped. Presents were scattered all around the enormous Christmas tree that stood, brilliant and huge in the middle of the room. Stockings hung over the blazing fireplace, filled to the very top, each with a different name written across it. They all turned to Dorea and Charlus, gaping.

"We'll leave you all be." Charlus said, taking his wife's hand and leading her back to the kitchen.

"You're parents are the coolest parents ever." Marlene said after they had left, and they had all recovered from their shock.

"Thanks Marlene!" Charlus called, and they all laughed.

Everyone still stood there, looking at the presents in awe. Finally Sirius broke the silence.

"So… who goes first?"

"The person with the shortest hair." Avril decided at once. Everyone looked to the boys, then narrowed them down to Remus and James, whose hair was about the same length.

Lily squinted her eyes. "Hmm… I've got to say Remus'. Maybe because your hair is so damn messy and it sticks up everywhere, but his just looks shorter. Sorry." She smiled.

"You know you love it." James teased, running a hand through his tangled locks. She rolled her eyes jokingly and looked to Remus expectantly. Everyone was.

"Well, go on then!" Jane said, pushing him forward slightly.

He walked up to the tree, and everyone seemed to relax at this. James pulled Lily onto the couch beside him, Marlene sat on Lily's left, and Jane, Sirius and Avril sat down on the floor, resting against their friends' legs.

Remus looked around the tree, picking up the first box he saw. It was wrapped neatly in dark brown and had a bright purple bow over it.

"_To: Remus. Love: Sirius." _Remus read out, laughing at his friend who grinned to him. "How did I know that the brown box with a purple bow would be for me, from you?" He said sarcastically. Everyone laughed but Avril, who looked questiongly at Sirius.

"Brown is Remus' favourite colour, purple is mine." He explained, touching the streak in her hair.

She swatted his hand out of her hair jokingly, then gave him a look. "Purple is your favorite colour?" She asked dubiously.

He nodded proudly, then turned back to Remus. "Well c'mon then. We haven't got all day."

Remus grinned then tore off the wrapping paper to reveal a ginormous box of chocolates from Honeydukes. Remus' eyes widened, and everybody laughed as he opened the first chocolate bar on top, then gasped.

"Sirius… Theses are limited edition chocolates! They only come out for one day every year and no one knows when it'll be! H-how-?"

Sirius replied with a faint smile. "You know me, Remus. Once I decided your present, I knew it had to be bigger and better." He shrugged. Remus thanked him enormously, before sitting down next to Jane on the floor. He offered his chocolates to everybody who responded with no's. It _was _his present after all.

"Okay, now Sirius goes because it was his present that Remus opened." Avril told them. Everybody understood, and Sirius jumped to his feet, running to the tree.

He picked up three boxes before he found one that was for him.

He held in his hand a box no larger than a mouse, and read, "To: Sirius. Love, your brother." He paused, then looked up to his friends, a grim expression on his face. "Looks like Regulus is trying to get in touch…" He said. Everyone gasped, but James, who looked incredibly uncomfortable.

"Er… actually mate-"

"He's mental." Sirius decided. "Because my _'brother' _actually thinks I could mistake his chicken scratch of penmanship for anyone else's." Sirius grinned up at James, who faltered, then grinned back, getting up and pushing his brother.

"You scared me bro." James said, sitting back down and swinging his arm over Lily's shoulders. "It's from Mum and Dad too." He added.

Sirius moaned. "I told them not to get me a present…"

"They wanted to. You're family." James simply said. Sirius gave a genuine smile, then looked down to the tiny box that lay in his palm. His hair was covering his face as he looked down, and Lily had the distinct impression that he was trying to hide his face from them. They all stared at him expectantly, giving him time. He finally looked up, and his eyes were glazed.

Lily felt her own eyes watering over this simple picture of a boy who had found his happiness in this home. She grabbed James' hand and he squeezed back, eyes still on Sirius.

"You okay mate?" He asked tentatively.

As if waking up from a dream, Sirius' face lit up into a grin. "I will be once I figure out what this is. I'm not exactly sure if I want to open it though…" He trailed off, tossing the box in his ahnd and catching it easily, as if to demonstrate how small the box was. James chuckled.

"Just bloody open it. Don't judge the box before you see what's in it."

Sirius shrugged, and flicked the top of the box at his brother, who blocked it from hitting his face.

"Watch it." James warned. "Soon you'll be groveling on your knees before me."

Sirius snorted. "Highly unlikely."

He removed the patch of tissues that lay above his present, and Lily watched as his eyes widened. He stood there for what seemed like hours, frozen in place.

"You bloody bastard." He finally managed to say, still staring down at his box.

Lily was shocked with this response, as was everyone else but James, who smiled smugly.

"_You bloody wanker!"_ Sirius shouted, grinning huger than Lily had ever seen at James. His face looked like it would split in two if his smile grew and wider.

James got up from the couch and put his arms out as if to say, "Told you so."

"_Where?"_ Sirius jumped up and down hugely, shaking the tree slightly.

"Where do you think?" James said. "The garage."

Sirius was out of the room in seconds, as James laughed openly, taking Lily's hand and helping her off the couch. Remus grabbed Jane's hand, a broad smile growing on his face.

"I think I know…" He said, shaking his head and laughing.

Avril and Marlene followed the out of the room. They walked into the kitchen, to find a hysterical Dorea and Charlus.

"I suppose he passed by here?" James asked his out of breath parents. They simply nodded, not able to speak through their roars of laughter. James grinned and picked up the pace slightly, Lily was now jogging to keep up with him. She turned around to look at Jane who simply shrugged at her, and Marlene and Avril who looked equally as confused.

"Did you get him a… car?" Lily asked her boyfriend.

James snorted. "Now c'mon Lily. How ordinary is _that? _When have you ever known me to be _ordinary?_" He sneered the word, grinning like an idiot.

Lily left it, figuring she would find out soon enough what James had gotten Sirius. As they walked into the Potter's garage—one of the few places in this house Lily had not yet seen—they heard yells and shouts and curses and cheers all mixed together.

Then they all saw it.

"You kill me James. C'mere." Sirius shouted, running over to James and tackling him to the ground. Everyone laughed together, watching them wrestle on the ground.

"A motorcycle. You… _you_…!" He seemed to be out of words. He jumped off James and grabbed the keys that he had put in his pocket. James clicked open the garage door, and it rose, slowly, steadily. They all seemed to be on their toes, anticipating Sirius' next move.

Sirius bounced on his bike, waiting for the door to rise fully so he could drive. The door stopped, and Sirius' grin wiped off his face. He turned around to look at James. A half a second more and the garage would've been open enough to drive under.

"Sirius." James said seriously.

Sirius said nothing, just stared at James intently, ready for what James was about to say.

"It flies."

Then, clicking the button again, they heard Sirius' shout of profane curses over the noise of the old garage door. He drove off the long driveway and they ran out of the garage to watch him.

The breeze was running through his hair and dust was going in his teeth but he didn't care. He couldn't stop grinning. He let the tears fall openly now; glad no one could see him. He didn't show it enough how thankful he was to have James as a best friend. As he pushed the button that read, "Fly" he thought crazily that the next boy he could ever love more than James would be his son.

He swerved his bike up and screamed as he almost fell off his bike. It was so much more exhilarating than a broom. He pushed the gas to go faster and did two loops before landing, hair messed up and eyes watery from crying. It didn't matter; it looked to his friends as if his eyes had just got a lot of dust in them. He looked to James to see him with a knowing look on his face. James was the only one who really understood, and Sirius was thankful for that.

"Well, that was fun." Remus said, plopping down onto the couch.

"Damn straight it was. And as soon as all of you have finished opening your presents I'm going back." Sirius told them. They all laughed openly as Dorea and Charlus levitated hot chocolates into their hands.

"Thanks!" They all called to the parents who disappeared again.

"James, why do your parents always leave us?" Marlene asked curiously.

"I think they just want time to themselves to be honest." James whispered, as everybody laughed.

"So James, it's your turn!" Sirius said, a whip cream mustache on his upper lip.

"Sounds good to me." James said, getting up and walking over to the tree.

And so the day continued like that, everybody getting up and opening their presents. There was never a time when you could catch one person without a huge smile on their face. It was the perfect Christmas.

They finished the day with a snowball fight in the dark, the only light being the one from the front porch, as Dorea and Charlus watched them.

Everybody was soaked after, but it was worth every second of it. Nobody would forget this Christmas for the rest of their lives.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Read this. Read what I'm saying now because this is by far the most important AN I will write in this story. <strong>

**You guys... I can't tell you how much I've loved writing this fanfiction. And with every single review I get, the happier and more confident writer I become, so I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has shown support to me during this whole time. But all good things must come to end, and sadly, this is one of those things. **

**No, it's not a joke, but it is a bit of an over-reaction. Yes, I do believe I have come to the decision that this fanfiction is ending with the next chapter, but the story WILL CONTINUE. I promise you that. I have big BIG ideas for the rest of their seventh year, and I hope you (yes, YOU!) will be there on the journey with me. I will talk more about it in the next chapter because I do not want to bore you with this super long AN, but do not fret. The writing will never stop, as long as there are readers out there willing to read. **

**So please, stay on the journey with me, and I promise you it will continue to be as magical as ever. I realize this whole thing is vague, but it's for a reason because I'm not even sure what I want to do next. Well- I _do, _but I'll tell you in the next chapter. **

**So thank you so much for everything. **

**-Taylor :)**

**AN2: On an un-dramatic side note, I have started a new fanfiction which is basically just what the Sorting Hat says for every character it sorts. Please check it out if you're interested, I myself am loving where it's going. Thanks!**


	45. New Years Eve

**AN: So, I said this would be my last chapter, but I've too much to write and didn't want a super long chapter, so I cut it into two chapters. **

Jane put on the dress she had gotten from Lily for Christmas. It was a deep royal blue that brought out her eyes. She smiled at her reflection and began brushing her hair. She looked at her watch and smiled. She had time to spare.

Marlene was having a different problem entirely.

"Shit shit. Where is my dress? Shit."

She ran around the room searching for it, wondering why _just now_ she had realized she didn't have it.

She raided her closet, picking up first the items that were on the floor. Okay, so she was a _little_ messy. That didn't define her as a person! She ran to her bed and dropped down on her knees searching for it. She let out a frustrated noise as she realized it wasn't there either.

She got up quickly and stubbed her toe on her bed.

She let out a yell of curses, hopping around, clutching her toe. And that's when she saw it.

"You little bugger." She said to the dress, snatching it violently from underneath her dresser. Seriously, when had she even _put_ that there?

"Hope you're not talking about me." A voice said from her door. She turned with the dress in her hands to see Sirius leaning against her doorframe. "Knock, knock." He added, grinning.

She simply stared at him. Not because she was angry or sad or whatever with him, she just had nothing to say.

"Pretty dress." He nodded to the dress. "Why's it a bugger?"

"Er, thanks." She said awkwardly, turning it over in her hands for a lack of something better to do. "I lost it. Just found it now though."

"Could've just Accioed it." He said simply.

"Guess I didn't think of that." She muttered stupidly.

"So what's up?" He asked after the pause, going over to sit at her desk, which was scattered with random things. He picked up a piece of paper gingerly and put it back down, chuckling. "You're messier than me."

"Ha." Marlene fake-laughed, rubbing the back of her neck.

He looked around her room and she remembered suddenly that she was late. But he wasn't dressed either.

"You're not dressed yet." She said.

"We've still got another…" He looked to his gold watch. "45 minutes until the guests arrive."

"45 minutes is not very long."

"Not for a girl. All I've got to do is put on some new clothes and a tie and I'm good to go."

"Your hair?" She asked dubiously.

"Why mess with perfection?"

She let out a real chuckle now, and felt easiness wash over her. "Well, I've got to start getting ready. You're welcome to stay here if you'd like, just don't go through my things. Be back in a jiff." She said, taking her toiletries and walking out of her room and into the bathroom she shared with Lily and Jane. Unsurpringly, Lily and Jane were already there, dressed and ready.

"You're not ready yet?" Lily said, jaw dropping open as she saw Marlene.

"We've still got another 45 minutes." Marlene muttered.

"Yeah, but we promised Dorea we'd help downstairs before the guests came! C'mon, we'll do your hair and makeup." Lily said.

And so Marlene sighed, forgetting all about the fact there was a boy in her room.

* * *

><p>"Girls?" A male voice said, minutes later.<p>

"We're just getting ready!" Jane called to her boyfriend.

"Oh okay, do you know where Sirius is?" Remus asked.

Lily and Jane shrugged and looked at Marlene, who didn't need the blush Lily was applying on her face to get red cheeks.

"He's er, in my room, Remus!" She called, ignoring her friends.

She heard the unmistakable laugh from James. "In your room eh? I wouldn't trust him Mar."

"I know." She sighed.

She heard the boys' footsteps continue walking down the hallway and turned back to her friends. They simply stared at her. Then, realizing she wasn't going to say anything, let it drop. Marlene was grateful.

* * *

><p>"Hey Padfoot." Remus said, walking into Marlene's room.<p>

"Lads." Sirius acknowledged them.

"This room is messier than yours, Padfoot!" James said, going to sit on her bed.

"Don't I know it. Look at all this crap!" He said, gesturing to the millions of scrap papers littering her desk.

"What is all that anyway? We didn't have any homework over the break." Remus said, walking over to her desk and picking up a piece of paper to read it.

Sirius picked one up too, reading it.

Remus quickly put his paper down, realzing what it was, and snatched the paper out of Sirius' hands quickly, but not before Sirius had read it.

"Who's owl is she using?" Sirius said, turning to James.

"Mine, why?" He said, jumping off the bed. "Something wrong?"

Remus looked at Sirius.

"Nothing's _wrong_. It's just that she's writing letters to McKinnon is all." Sirius shrugged.

"And this is a big deal because…" James asked.

"It's not." Remus said firmly.

An awkward silence filled the room.

"32 minutes before the guests arrive…" James started awkwardly, staring at his watch.

"Maybe we should start getting ready, yeah?" Remus suggested. James nodded, and they both looked at Sirius.

"What?"

"We didn't say anything." James said.

"Well, you're looking at me."

"Yeah, because _you_ didn't say anything."

"Was I supposed to?"

"A simple nod would have sufficed." Remus said dryly.

Sirius nodded over-exaggeratedly. His friends rolled his eyes at him and they left Marlene's room together, Sirius trailing behind.

"You need to get over Marlene." Remus muttered so James couldn't hear.

"I _have._" Sirius said, matter-of-factly.

Remus raised one eyebrow in disbelief, then shook his head. "If you say so."

They reached their rooms and got changed in less than 5 minutes. They met in James' room. Remus draped himself on a chair, Sirius on the floor, James sitting on his bed.

"So!" James started loudly, clapping his hands together. Remus and Sirius exchanged looks, then looked at their best friend curiously.

"What?" They both said.

"As the start of a new year begins tomorrow, I'd like to tell you something."

"Yeah?" Remus said.

"Yes." James said. "So, just to make sure I have no secrets coming with me into 1979, I will get the one thing off my chest that I have not told you guys."

"And that would be…?" Sirius said, intrigued now.

"I proposed to Lily."

There was brief silence, before Sirius let out a '_pfft' _of disbelief. Remus' eyebrows almost connected with his hairline they were so high. No one said anything for a while.

"I'm serious." James said. "Padfoot, do _not _make me kill you." He added, looking to Sirius who had just opened his mouth to speak, then closed it angrily.

"No you're not." Remus said.

"Yes, I am."

"You _proposed _to Lily? Are you mad?" Sirius asked.

"Madly in love."

Sirius rolled his eyes at his best friend. "You know, I always knew you were mental."

"I've got to be; you've been my friend this long. Things start to rub off on you when you spend too much time with a person you know."

Sirius threw a pillow at him.

"What'd she say?" Remus inquired.

"_No,_ obviously." Sirius said, then paled. "Right?"

"Well, the ring sort of turned into a promise ring. We will get married some day… just not today."

Remus blinked very slowly.

"You guys are taking things sort of… fast aren't you?"

"Er- no. I didn't think so." James said.

"You only started dating in September." Sirius reminded him.

"Oh, that's right I forgot. Thanks, I thought we'd been dating since 3rd year. Stupid me." He said sarcastically.

Remus and Sirius had nothing to say to this. The three boys simply stared at their hands, or feet, or the wall in silence.

Remus looked at his watch. "20 minutes until the guests arrive… Maybe we should go help your parents downstairs?" He suggested.

James nodded and got up, Sirius and Remus following him out the door.

* * *

><p>"I need to tell you guys something." Lily said seriously.<p>

"Is it going to be about that ring on your right hand?" Jane asked, still working on Marlene's hair. Lily's jaw dropped, and she fiddled with the ring for a lack of something better to do.

"Yeah Lil, what is that about anyway?" Marlene asked, tilting her head to the side as Jane asked her to.

"Er… James proposed." Lily said uneasily.

"That's the wrong hand honey." Jane joked.

Lily blushed. "I know _that. _But… you aren't surprised?"

"Knew it'd happen sometime." Marlene answered, shrugging then wincing as Jane scolded her for moving.

"Well, I didn't say yes. Well, I _did_, but we're not getting married anytime soon. It's like a promise for an engagement for a marriage." She chuckled as she realized just how bizarre that sounded. "That's mad isn't it?"

"Not if you think it's the right thing to do it's not." Jane said.

"Ouch Jane!" Marlene yelled. "And yeah, it's your life isn't it? Just don't rush into it or anything."

"I don't plan to." Lily smiled. "Thanks for being so supportive guys." She continued applying makeup to Marlene's face.

"Well, your hair's finished." Jane said, stepping back.

"Thank God." Marlene muttered under her breath.

"Makeup won't get any better either." Lily said, handing Marlene some lip gloss. "Just put that on and you'll be done."

"Cool. Thanks girls." She applied it then looked at her watch. "Bollocks is that the _time?_ We promised Dorea we'd help set up!" She jumped up, adjusting her dress around her chest.

The girls all looked in the mirror one last time before running downstairs and seeing Remus, Sirius and James looking very dapper indeed in suits and ties, leaning over the counter and talking to Dorea and Charlus.

"Hey boys." Lily said, walking over to James. "Love the suits."

"Thanks Lil. Love the dresses." James replied, taking her hands in his and kissing her on the forehead sweetly.

"Guests should start arriving soon… James, would you mind standing on the porch and welcoming everyone in? Take Lily if you like." Dorea asked them.

"Sorry about not helping Dorea, we lost track of time." Lily apologized, Jane and Marlene apologizing as well.

"Girls, no worries. We're magical remember? We can do magic." Dorea assured them. After she assigned different jobs to the six teenagers, Lily followed James to the front of the house.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And that's where it cuts off. I'm going to take this time to explain what I meant in the last chapter about this story being finished.<strong>

**As you can tell, it is the Potter's New Year's Eve party. Meaning that in the story, tomorrow will no longer be 1978 (as the title says) but it will be 19_79 _and so, I am writing a separate fanfiction for the next year. **

**The separate fanfiction will start in January, the first day back at Hogwarts from the break. It will consist of the exact same characters, same plot, but much more will be happening. I am doing this for many different reasons, and I will tell you those reasons in the final chapter. Just know that this fanfiction is not ending any time soon! Well- this fanfiction is but the STORY is not! I hope you will all help me get lots of reviews for when I post that new fanfiction because I am very depressed to be leaving this one. I mean, we've reached _almost_ 200 reviews! I think that's absolutely amazing and as an authour, I couldn't ask for more supportive readers! So thank you so much. All of you. The silent readers, the favouriters, the subscribers, and ESPECIALLY the reviewers! I love each and every one of you as if you were a close friend! **

**Again, I know although this is less vague, it still does not tell you the reason for why I am writing a new fanfiction. There are better reasons than just the title (belive me!). I'm sorry for not telling you now, but I'm only doing so because this AN is super-long already. So thanks if you're still reading this right now and as for now, goodbye!**

**Review if you liked it please. We're at _184 REVIEWS _at this moment! Imagine if you all reviewed! We'd make it way past 200 reviews! (sorry just a thought LOL)**

**So thanks again. **

**-Taylor :)**


	46. New Years Eve II & Goodbyes

**AN: This continues from New Years Eve. This, my dear readers, is New Years Eve II. Enjoy.**

"Sucks that Avril had to leave before the party." Lily said, remembering how just a couple hours ago they had all stood outside in the freezing snow, saying goodbyes and promises to see each other again.

"She liked you." James told her. "She'll miss everyone. We'll see her again though."

"You sound pretty confident about that." Lily joked.

"Well… she'll come to our wedding won't she?" He said.

There was a pause.

"Yeah." Lily answered, grinning at him. "I like how that sounds. _Our wedding." _

He grinned back at her. "Should we talk some more about that?"

"I don't think so. I mean, I will if you want to, but I think right now I'd just like to live in the moment with you." She squeezed his hand and sat down onto the porch swing, waiting for guests to arrive. He sat down next to her, facing her.

"I love you Lily." He said quietly. She looked up to meet his eyes and kissed him on the lips. He took her face in his hands and she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her. They kissed again, more aggressive and passionate this time. How long their lips stayed glued together, they did not know.

Lily heard a giggle from behind her. She turned quickly to see a young girl watching them openly. Lily blushed as she realized she was now sitting on James' lap, and scrambled off of the swing, standing up.

"Hello there." She said politely.

"Hi!" The little girl waved, clutching a teddy bear in her other hand. Her hair was bright bubblegum pink; fitting, for a girl so young and innocent. The young girl was missing one tooth and her smile was absolutely adorable.

"I'm Lily." Lily held out her hand and the little girl took it in hers.

James chuckled from behind her. "Hey Nymph." He said casually.

"It's _Tonks!_" The little girl cried angrily, hair turning a violent shade of red.

"Pleasure to meet you Tonks!" Lily said quickly, anxious to calm down this young girl. She had learned from babysitting many years with Muggle children that once young kids got riled up, it was hard to calm them down.

The girls' hair turned slowly to a magenta pink.

"Where's Mum and Dad?" James asked.

"Oh." The little girl giggled, hair fading to the bubblegum pink again. "They went inside alweady. Wif evewyone else too." She said happily.

Lily froze and turned to James.

"Er… had they _all _seen us? You know…" James said, nervously running a hand through his hair.

"_Kissing?_" Tonks sung, dancing around. "Yes! They told me not to bothah you but I couldn't help it! It's just so funny!"

Tonks started laughing again, and Lily found herself laughing along with her. She couldn't help it; Tonks' bubbly laughter was contagious.

As all the guests had arrived together -and undoubtedly, all had seen James and Lily snogging on the porch swing- the three new friends walked inside to find the party in full swing. There was music on the radio and food on the table, and everyone was wearing a smile.

"Looks like the party's a success." Lily murmured to James, holding Tonks' tiny hand. Tonks was laughing and dancing, pulling Lily all over the house.

"Where is everybody?" Lily asked James.

"By everybody, I'm assuming you mean our friends…" He looked around the place. "No idea. Might be in the basement. That's usually where the kids hang out." He said, then pulled Lily by the hand to the basement. Lily pulled Tonks along, who was still dancing and singing merrily.

James opened the door to the basement and a wave of loud music hit them.

Tonks covered her ears as her hair turned electric green. Lily and James walked down the steps to the basement, Tonks trailing behind, to find a huge amount of kids their age.

Lily heard a familiar chorus.

_"Whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother,_

_You're stayin' alive, stayin' alive._

_Fell the city breakin' and everybody shakin'_

_And we're stayin' alive, stayin' alive."_

She looked to James in disbelief. "This is Muggle music."

"I know that." He chuckled. "You Muggles make some good music."

She nudged him in the ribcage and laughed. She heard somebody shout "James!" from behind her.

James turned around, as did Lily, to see a girl who looked about their age, if not older. She had dark brown hair, and was wearing a deep purple tube top and high-waisted trousers.

"Ellie!" James shouted, hugging her. "This is Lily," He said pulling away and gesturing to Lily. "my girlfriend."

"Hey, nice to meet you. Eileen Tripe, but call me Ellie." She said loudly, smiling warmly.

"Lily Evans." Lily yelled, tapping her foot to the beat.

"Hey, you guys want something to drink?" Ellie shouted over the music. "Firewhiskey or something?"

"Firewhiskey sounds great!" Lily shouted back.

"Beer for me!" James yelled as Ellie nodded and walked away.

"Beer?" Lily questioned.

James nodded, grinning. "Muggles make some good alcohol too!"

Lily laughed and began dancing with James. Ellie came back shortly, three drinks being levitated towards them. Lily grabbed the Firewhiskey and James grabbed the beer.

"No designated partner this time, eh?" Lily yelled.

"We'll have to watch out for each other I guess!" James shouted back, grinning, then tipping his head back and drinking his beer. Lily followed suit, enjoying the hot sensation that ran down her throat.

Lily felt something touching her leg and looked down to see Tonks, eyes watery.

"Lily, I'm scawed." She said. Lily picked her up and swung her onto her back, putting down the Firewhiskey.

"Let's get you to safety." Lily said, taking her to a spot that was less crowded and less noisy. "Perfect." Lily said, seeing her two best friends snogging on the couch.

"Oi, Jane!" Lily yelled.

Jane and Remus turned, Jane moving over so she was no longer in Remus' lap, but looking not at all embarrassed to be caught like that. Lily rolled her eyes at the pair of them.

"Mind watching over Tonks for me?" She asked.

Remus brightened. "Tonks?" He leaned around Jane to see Tonks sitting on the couch, swinging her legs to the music.

She looked up and the sound of her name and grinned. "Hi Wemus!"

"How're things, squirt?" He asked, ruffling her electric green hair. It changed to blue as he touched it.

Lily walked away, knowing Tonks was in safe care, to meet her boyfriend. He wasn't on the dance floor though. She looked around and found Ellie.

"Ellie! Have you seen James?"

Ellie shook her head as a no and continued dancing with some guy with blue hair. As Lily looked around the crowd she realized there were a lot of kids her age or older with dyed hair. Must be some wizard rebellion or something.

She looked everywhere for him. She saw Remus and Jane again, playing with Tonks like one happy family. She saw Sirius snogging someone that she didn't recognize; what a shock. She saw Marlene talking to a couple other people their age, dancing and laughing.

She finally found him, conversing with guests like the good host he was. She walked up to him and hugged him from behind, swaying to the music. He pulled her around him.

"Here she is now. Guys, this is Lily." James said, introducing her.

"Wow." One guy said, looking at her. She blushed self-consciously, wondering what they had said about her while she wasn't there.

"You don't kid when you say '_beautiful_.'" The second guy said. Lily _really _blushed now, looking down at the ground.

"Hey lads, eyes off." James said, wrapping an arm around Lily's waist. They chuckled and said their goodbyes, going to dance with some other girls.

Lily looked at James. "You told them I was beautiful?"

"I speak nothing but the truth." James said, surprising her by picking her up and twirling her around. She laughed and kissed him on the forehead. He responded by kissing her neck, still holding her in the air.

"James! James stop that tickles!" She cried, as he trailed kisses up and down her neck. She threw her head back and laughed openly, savouring the moment. He put her down but continued kissing her, moving up to her lips. She kissed him back, putting her hands into his hair.

And so that's how they spent their last night of 1978. Together. Dancing, talking, laughing, kissing… enjoying every second they had left of this year. Before they knew it, it was 11:56 and people were starting to go crazy. Trying to find a boy of girl to share a kiss with, or share the last dance of 1978 with. Lily stayed glued to James, and before they knew it, the countdown had begun.

_20…!_

"James, I love you. Last time I'll get to say it this year, but I want you to know, this year has been the best one of my life." She said quickly.

_15…!_

"So much has happened between us and I couldn't be more grateful for the ways things have turned out. I love you." She told him.

_10…!_

"I love you too Lil. I always have."

_6…! 5…!_

Lily and James grinned at each other, then joined in with the countdown.

"_Four!_" They yelled, holding hands.

"_Three!_" James pulled her towards him. She threw her arms around his neck.

"_Two!_" They screamed together.

"_One!_" Lily stared into his eyes, and practically tackled him. She kissed him enthusiastically, wishing she had the words for what she wanted to say.

After what could've been a whole _other_ year, they pulled back, taking deep breaths.

"H-Happy New Year." Lily said, out of breath.

"Happy New Year."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So, I will finally tell you all what is happening. This fanfiction is now officially over. I am starting a whole other fanfiction, and it will be named Hogwarts: 1979. I am doing this for the reasons that follow:<strong>

**1) When I first began this fanfiction, it was my very first and so my writing at the beginning was terrible (in my opinion) which makes me sad because the first couple of chapters are the ones people read the first, and I have to admit, if I were reading my fanfiction back then, I probably would've given it about a 4 or 5/10. But thank you to the people that continued to read after my first few chapters! ;)**

**2) I also made the chapters in the beginning very VERY short, and as you can see, my writing and length over this whole fanfiction have changed drastically. So I am hoping if I start a new fanfiction now that I have some more experience as a write, it will be more consistent. **

**And 3) Because it's now 1979! duhh! :P**

**So, I just wanted to say a GINORMOUS HUGE ENORMOUS MASSIVE GIANT GREAT BIG THANK YOU!**

**Thank you to the people that have bee reading since the very beginning, or even if you only started reading this fanfiction yesterday! I love you all equally! Seriously, if you guys knew how much you all meant to me... Words can't even describe it (shows how great an writer I am, huh?).**

**So thanks. That's really all I wanted to say. I will be posting (CROSSED FINGERS) the new fanfiction soon. I will be going to Quebec on Tuesday for about 5 days so I REALLY HOPE I'll have it written and posted by then. And to all you readers, I beg of you: If you could help me get a lot of reviews for my new fanfiction, you have no idea how happy I'd be.**

**Imagine if I posted it the morning before I left, and I came back after 5 days to a lot of reviews! That's be the best feeling in the world! **

**My biggest regret is stopping this fanfiction because LOOK AT WHAT WE"VE ACCOMPLISHED. Almost 200 reviews. Guys, this is crazy. When I first started out, I was dreaming to get like, 10 reviews. I couldn't have asked for more supportive readers and reviewers. So thanks. That's all I can really say right now. Thank. You. So. Much.**

**I love you all as if we were friends, and in my mind, we _are_. I would love to have a conversation with any of you! Seriously, don't be afraid to PM me! I'd love that so much! **

**There's nothing more to say guys. I'm almost like, crying. I know this isn't over, but look at what I'm leaving. Nearly 200 reviews. That alone almost makes me want to keep going. But I've made my decision. I need to start a new one. So thanks for being on the journey of 1978 with Lily, James, Marlene, Sirius, Jane, Remus and me. I know we all wish we could give you a hug. Unfortunately, everybody but me is dead by 2012.**

**Lol awkward. **

**SO I GUESS I'M THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN GIVE YOU A GREAT BIG HUG. SO HERE IT IS! *HUGS YOU SO HARD YOU CAN'T BREATHE***

**So I hope you all check out Hogwarts: 1979 once it's up. I'm sorry for the difficulties this may entail. It just had to be done. Thanks for reading, favouriting, alerting, and most importantly, REVIEWING. **

**There's nothing more to be said. Oops, one more thing:**

**THANK. YOU.**

**I think that's all. Thanks alot, for about the 5th time.**

**(Last time I'll write my name in this fanfiction, oh god the tears)**

**-Taylor :')**


End file.
